tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26819644116878922462024-03-14T09:28:40.162-07:00Threads To FabricMy ramblings on family, sewing, quilting, machine embroidery, cooking, and life in general.Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-44332867868782516062013-08-21T12:28:00.001-07:002013-08-21T12:28:44.646-07:00Quilt-Along Progress - Blocks 4 and 5<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I know it's been awhile since I last posted but I took some time off to spend time with my grandchildren who came to visit grandma and grandpa for a few weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">We learned how to ride our bike without training wheels... We're still working on watching where we're going instead of watching our feet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJL2rFZdCiBf-McjaFE54gr09aU3ZsoSSrQt9UL5jrhJ3SmuulXqu5w8vBDDBAUl_2RGqiB_k3Y4Dyc3PXwaBc-Bf_KdTxQTfLEPtJF2wPf34bh6O2yktQqQR7v3Z7zx8oClLgK0EwwGBe/s1600/P1010016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJL2rFZdCiBf-McjaFE54gr09aU3ZsoSSrQt9UL5jrhJ3SmuulXqu5w8vBDDBAUl_2RGqiB_k3Y4Dyc3PXwaBc-Bf_KdTxQTfLEPtJF2wPf34bh6O2yktQqQR7v3Z7zx8oClLgK0EwwGBe/s320/P1010016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">We climbed our favorite tree with grandpa.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">We swung and twirled on the tree swings grandpa put up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Grandpa taught Chuck how to operate the lawn tractor for the first time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">We helped grandpa make a couple of bird feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">We loved our time with them, but sadly, they had to go back home to get ready for school. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">So, after a week for getting the house back in order and rest, I am back in my sewing room working on my <a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along/" target="_blank">Quilt-Along,</a> hosted by Michele Foster with Quilting Gallery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This is block number 4. I actually started on this block before the grandchildren arrived, but because I was struggling in my fabric selection, I didn't start cutting or sewing on it until after the kids left. I'm glad I took the time to choose the right fabric because I didn't want to lose the design.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This is block 5 of the <a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along/" target="_blank">Quilt-Along</a></span><a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along/" target="_blank">.</a> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I love the floral on white background print. It has a whimsy to it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLErgWpXMsjkWyZIAwvv5DKbkWDALnvJqyY-mNXyl3a0CTmM7fivDPZsu1fhO8PLmRsATo-NrZZJ-F7mGzfJg6N5kiuOE0RO4pY2VMRYsh97KJ6f-W5EULWOyvHp0rqBlCp5kawbc6pup8/s1600/Quilt+082013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLErgWpXMsjkWyZIAwvv5DKbkWDALnvJqyY-mNXyl3a0CTmM7fivDPZsu1fhO8PLmRsATo-NrZZJ-F7mGzfJg6N5kiuOE0RO4pY2VMRYsh97KJ6f-W5EULWOyvHp0rqBlCp5kawbc6pup8/s320/Quilt+082013.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here is my mock-up thus far with the blocks I've completed. I like it and hope I can continue to select the right prints to connect all the blocks, since they're all different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I still have a couple of blocks to complete before I'm caught up with the rest of the group who are on block 8 this week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">What's been happening with you?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-64956094065466954762013-07-23T11:51:00.000-07:002013-07-23T11:51:08.002-07:00Quilt-Along Progress - Block 3<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I started working on block 3 of the <a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along/" target="_blank">quilt-along</a> Sunday and had a portion of it assembled before I put it aside because of the heat. <em>It is so hard for me to work when my hands are sticking to the ruler, causing it to shift every time I make a cut.</em> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I began working on my block again on Monday, early enough that the heat wouldn't create a problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">The block consists of four pinwheel blocks separated by a narrow sashing. I've worked with half-square triangles many times before with minimal problems. But for some reason, I had issues with these pinwheels. I frog stitched. I restitched the seams. And I still had problems with the points on a couple of the pinwheel blocks. I began to feel like one of Kaye Wood's pointless people!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Generally, I don't pin my seams as I've found greater success in matching seams using just my hands. However, at this point I was willing to try anything. Failure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">So, I frog stitched and restitched the seams and here is block 3 of the <a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along/" target="_blank">quilt-along</a>:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr93-jmfh5rr7w32ilj2hqJCkmMplZqCLdjZFQpxFLslWEyWbYBLiRfgskQhm56WhH_4X8we4PNx2y3vwCzQFRcfVQx8AQ1PhXpr3PykMfGu0djHzttr25R4R6dw87Xi2Ybrm4g50x2Jz/s1600/P1010005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr93-jmfh5rr7w32ilj2hqJCkmMplZqCLdjZFQpxFLslWEyWbYBLiRfgskQhm56WhH_4X8we4PNx2y3vwCzQFRcfVQx8AQ1PhXpr3PykMfGu0djHzttr25R4R6dw87Xi2Ybrm4g50x2Jz/s320/P1010005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">My mother-in-law once told me I was the only one who saw my imperfections. Words of wisdom... She was right. We can be so hard on ourselves, unnecessarily at times.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfKwe5g67B1TEwCNro-QOSac_y_GvE9wPsjd1RbgSWcfzIg5y2ZwWAvwH5kW7sm_qZgwsTC8CFx1JeIJkGhxJhw0OSQyxYxNzRr0QiBl95totBTfbsDb1XehC7eqbyLD6T_xtYZqpj7Ij/s1600/Quilt+072213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfKwe5g67B1TEwCNro-QOSac_y_GvE9wPsjd1RbgSWcfzIg5y2ZwWAvwH5kW7sm_qZgwsTC8CFx1JeIJkGhxJhw0OSQyxYxNzRr0QiBl95totBTfbsDb1XehC7eqbyLD6T_xtYZqpj7Ij/s640/Quilt+072213.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This is my progress so far. I think it will be a beautiful quilt once I'm finished. Next I will work on block 4 and if I finish it today, I'll be caught up with the group. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">What's on your mind today?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-67890220183339834682013-07-22T06:01:00.000-07:002013-07-23T11:51:45.105-07:00Quilt-Along Progress<div align="justify">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">After finally making my way into town I was able to select a print to use as my background/contrast fabric in the quilt-along I'm participating in and I have been busy working on my blocks. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here are the fabrics I selected from my resources for the blocks, but I didn't have a print with enough yardage that I could use for the background/contrast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I knew I wanted to use black as the background/contrast fabric since I was using brights, but I didn't want a solid black, I wanted one with a subtle tone on tone design. As soon as I found this print, I knew it was the perfect one to highlight the all those bright colors.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCt2gFn5Ss7GM2BK3tRAZ8yWA3jnQi2-TN9HcMzlxtPSlzYUarCYeHdsn9NlSeql6BRcgvIUehLTnyCNqGqYwedtI6TQwawBw1uLm9XLQTzQ22E7NwZc5kn43FeKmmCfVhbQRuncuMCq3/s1600/P1010031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCt2gFn5Ss7GM2BK3tRAZ8yWA3jnQi2-TN9HcMzlxtPSlzYUarCYeHdsn9NlSeql6BRcgvIUehLTnyCNqGqYwedtI6TQwawBw1uLm9XLQTzQ22E7NwZc5kn43FeKmmCfVhbQRuncuMCq3/s320/P1010031.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c0G4H8mT63b6w_A7atKj1AswKGZUhmO6Tie9aDsfknvfqeQGd_7cG_jl5CTidjczpUQbalGNhXsgVA2kufqaPaMPqryTOP3krIzIlOVGY8z8iJKXaIyMsZ9sI27Wqic5OgsdyqenQlpy/s1600/P1010032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c0G4H8mT63b6w_A7atKj1AswKGZUhmO6Tie9aDsfknvfqeQGd_7cG_jl5CTidjczpUQbalGNhXsgVA2kufqaPaMPqryTOP3krIzIlOVGY8z8iJKXaIyMsZ9sI27Wqic5OgsdyqenQlpy/s320/P1010032.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I always prewash my fabrics to remove any sizing or chemicals from the factory before I begin working with them. After prewashing, I liberally applied spray starch to each print and allowed the fabric to dry before cutting. I use Best Press, unscented, because it doesn't flake or cause scorching like other starches do. By allowing the fabric to dry after applying the starch I have more body which gives me more control when I'm cutting my pieces and my iron doesn't gum up from the starch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Because I had to go into town to purchase the background/contrast fabric, I wasn't able to begin working on the quilt-along when it began a couple of weeks ago. The group is on block four, so I have some catching up to do!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ03DWEMiCwNCzzSif2kK7cbZqSTpzWpviRySluecaDFBCYMX3gb2ANvt6nhIQjkoII5nunnRi5ZeaKJcVUXnDsXKXN08bg6x9pWyRmyv-xOTvpisYezPF81QFnmSNX_MhH5Rv_FTeEfHA/s1600/P1010003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ03DWEMiCwNCzzSif2kK7cbZqSTpzWpviRySluecaDFBCYMX3gb2ANvt6nhIQjkoII5nunnRi5ZeaKJcVUXnDsXKXN08bg6x9pWyRmyv-xOTvpisYezPF81QFnmSNX_MhH5Rv_FTeEfHA/s320/P1010003.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I cut the all of the pieces I needed from the background/contrast print, placed the pieces in baggies and labeled the baggies so I know at a glance what the contents are.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmkd_-Yv00my9JDxblPyGYS80d3n5Qskk6peth0m0UM9t9ikeuxrInqPCcvgZ-KTvR9f97zlgjakpyHdMtdye24jisMeOOlBZ2LX-mGudiEnB7Qln61hYNtw17ZZtbgs6c_zlKbn7aicx/s1600/P1010023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmkd_-Yv00my9JDxblPyGYS80d3n5Qskk6peth0m0UM9t9ikeuxrInqPCcvgZ-KTvR9f97zlgjakpyHdMtdye24jisMeOOlBZ2LX-mGudiEnB7Qln61hYNtw17ZZtbgs6c_zlKbn7aicx/s320/P1010023.JPG" width="301" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This is the first block in the quilt-along. I love how the star print adds movement to the block and I think the contrast between the three prints makes the pinwheel pop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDJiN5p5WHWaSzMzeN1F6yQ7ahklSO1rr_jYc3D30u0OsRp1OyHc4H3Dsv7AQRmS5AzcY28AeRORGU8SSGDmyMzk80U2nqfE_FGaDzIuJKf_XR10hzJxZl1k8eaydoUoluFMMoWhjUlm2/s1600/P1010002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDJiN5p5WHWaSzMzeN1F6yQ7ahklSO1rr_jYc3D30u0OsRp1OyHc4H3Dsv7AQRmS5AzcY28AeRORGU8SSGDmyMzk80U2nqfE_FGaDzIuJKf_XR10hzJxZl1k8eaydoUoluFMMoWhjUlm2/s320/P1010002.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here is my version of the second block. I LOVE the way the four prints work in this block. The whimsical floral print really adds a playfulness, I think.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'm working on block three and hope to have it completed today. If I can complete block four, I'll have caught up with everyone else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">What have you been working on?</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-16427818544761582182013-07-09T06:31:00.000-07:002013-07-09T06:47:31.568-07:00I'm Back in the Saddle Again<div align="justify">
Now that the 4th of July holiday has passed, I'm ready to get back to my routine. Amazing how one day can cause so much disruption to a schedule. </div>
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Prior to the holiday, I did manage to finish making all those bias binding strips I've been working on. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLy1_PfC56bOVfLujHxH6YSCgBVwmDaaQcNZRZcjsJgkw24sSPBkG_LzS064_-lExKNchyphenhyphenL02PfqZZhJx4x2Yq_mHPhq2HPTm8meTuxwV0ZrKjNTKGEDY2XAZOwGl3pl3qj8KcCHF4wJz/s1600/P1010004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLy1_PfC56bOVfLujHxH6YSCgBVwmDaaQcNZRZcjsJgkw24sSPBkG_LzS064_-lExKNchyphenhyphenL02PfqZZhJx4x2Yq_mHPhq2HPTm8meTuxwV0ZrKjNTKGEDY2XAZOwGl3pl3qj8KcCHF4wJz/s320/P1010004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nine different prints of bias binding. Unfortunately, someone changed my camera settings so the picture isn't very good and doesn't highlight the different prints. I used one yard of fabric for each print.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL5371FwyXXP9_ISdcEHXaNOc7WY8LBrSxmxTlayPKuPZK5wn431xD-MGjZz9eaX83bmzDMBelxyuI8fo39Zw3sr-IJZTslqstLKqkEVMGpM2Xr43lIiJGb6a4N55Y1iGp-L6TXg9cgTF/s1600/P1010013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL5371FwyXXP9_ISdcEHXaNOc7WY8LBrSxmxTlayPKuPZK5wn431xD-MGjZz9eaX83bmzDMBelxyuI8fo39Zw3sr-IJZTslqstLKqkEVMGpM2Xr43lIiJGb6a4N55Y1iGp-L6TXg9cgTF/s320/P1010013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Each yard of fabric provided eleven yards of binding. Isn't that quite the collection? Bias binding is so forgiving and easy to do and if you'd like to learn some of my tips, I wrote a tutorial for making bias binding back in October 2009 you can reference: <a href="http://threadstofabric.blogspot.com/2009/10/bias-binding-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Bias Binding Tutorial</a></div>
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In an earlier post I mentioned I signed up to participate in a Quilt-Along hosted by <a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along/" target="_blank">Quilting Gallery</a> with the focus of aiming for accuracy. Although I'm an experienced quilter I thought it would be fun to participate and I think it's good to review the basics because sometimes, in our rush to finish a project I think we sometimes forget these basics in an effort to save time. So I've been working on selecting fabrics for this Quilt-Along, this is what I've selected so far:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwtfaCjs03U37jX7td-CcVQ2fng-Jjvl6phTgH4TYTnRWQ6FQoKSj9xrVnpKZa1yZHGblw4Yy7Ivl9HfhZCmtai5yxFcRZnG-XRZTzE_mAASCg9UJBqoYu7pNwACOYidF4WOxDsZX2-6r/s1600/P1010019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwtfaCjs03U37jX7td-CcVQ2fng-Jjvl6phTgH4TYTnRWQ6FQoKSj9xrVnpKZa1yZHGblw4Yy7Ivl9HfhZCmtai5yxFcRZnG-XRZTzE_mAASCg9UJBqoYu7pNwACOYidF4WOxDsZX2-6r/s320/P1010019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above is my first section of fabrics, but I wasn't happy with my selection and modified my choices with these:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLnbHPq5yOyZXFIbP387eKMp9E7qUqats8YslFzhHiK8-Ss7GywRK95K6Kq4JDbFoL3zHklkp4gYQE9J67ak8_x37dfgJAolZe739XtEM0A0ti95xwg_Sath9pdCrLjvhqOjHji-Gxza_/s1600/P1010007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLnbHPq5yOyZXFIbP387eKMp9E7qUqats8YslFzhHiK8-Ss7GywRK95K6Kq4JDbFoL3zHklkp4gYQE9J67ak8_x37dfgJAolZe739XtEM0A0ti95xwg_Sath9pdCrLjvhqOjHji-Gxza_/s320/P1010007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The pattern requires 24 fat quarters and one background fabric. My goal was to use only what is in my fabric resources, but I' hit a snag. For the background fabric, I need 3.5 yards and I discovered I have a lot of prints but nothing that reads as a solid in this yardage which means I'll have to purchase it. What I'm thinking is to find a tone on tone print in either black, red, or green for a good contrast. I'm leaning towards black though because it will work with any of the prints I've selected above.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOs9lQ9SsHgKWCvPJrFngMT88kr0-0VY4JIW0jJraDs94JYcDxMTIesym328jzBJ2nsUNqF8g93BmS29_SKRptmZh7ZiANDEh4nSheBhHmo4Gi44z07LpeGxwMEINEzBFvg6nMy87EetIZ/s1600/Sunset-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOs9lQ9SsHgKWCvPJrFngMT88kr0-0VY4JIW0jJraDs94JYcDxMTIesym328jzBJ2nsUNqF8g93BmS29_SKRptmZh7ZiANDEh4nSheBhHmo4Gi44z07LpeGxwMEINEzBFvg6nMy87EetIZ/s320/Sunset-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And so, today I leave you with a picture I took of a sunset I watched the other day. Isn't it spectacular? I'm so fortunate to live in such a beautiful community, surrounded by mountains and water. I'm truly spoiled!</div>
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So what's going on in your world?</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-77449963609237484242013-06-28T13:32:00.000-07:002013-06-28T13:32:34.023-07:00Things That Go Bump In The Night<div align="justify">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have what most people consider to be an odd schedule. I'm generally awake before 4:00 am and in bed by 8:00 pm, whether I have to get up early or not. It's my internal clock and it refuses to allow me to sleep in. For me, sleeping in is 4:30 am - 5:00 am.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, last night I'm enjoying my sleep when I'm awakened by a noise at a little before midnight. It was a scratching sound. And it was in my bedroom. We have a <em>visitor</em> but not a visitor you invite for tea and cookies...</span></div>
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We live in a rural area and it is not unusual for <em>critters</em> to find their way inside but we have things in place to prevent them from <em>visiting.</em> I'm not a fan of field mice and one of the first things I do each morning is to conduct a visual inspection for signs of <em>visitors. </em>If there's a sign, my husband has work to do.</div>
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Several years ago, I was sitting in a chair at our desk in the family room while putting my shoes on when I heard a rustling sound coming from the wastebasket beside me. I peered into the wastebasket and what do I see? A <em>critter</em> peering back at me. My husband looked at me oddly as I ran past him in the hallway to our bedroom where I immediately slammed the door shut. As if that would keep the <em>critter</em> from getting in. I've digressed... Back to last night.</div>
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I'm laying in bed listening to the <em>critter</em> with my husband's snoring in the background... All I'm really focusing on is the <em>critter</em>. I hate it when I'm awakened during the night because rarely am I able to fall back asleep and this disturbance really gets my mind racing so that I can't go back to sleep. And then it hits me... My body is telling me I have to use the bathroom. Well, I am not putting my bare feet on the bedroom floor, in the dark, to go to the bathroom, while we have a <em>visitor</em>. It'll just have to wait. I don't care how loud my body is screaming it has to go.</div>
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I did finally fall back to sleep sometime after 3:30 am. When I woke back up at 4:30 am I promptly woke up my husband and announced he had work to do.</div>
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So, what are you doing today? </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-39552574255638741122013-06-27T08:57:00.000-07:002013-06-27T10:19:07.584-07:00Reconnecting<div align="justify">
Good morning! It has been quite some time since I last posted to my blog. Not because I didn't have anything to share, but because I've been busy and just couldn't find the time or energy to write a post, something I want to change. </div>
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Seems as though my life revolves around schedules. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiw6IiYVbRiAYIsiP20W6QVZJbOYS0KSVka0-5MUt8QuZEeETZje13lGt4kpC0O9So-C7IwJoYOsibnmqEiKpKcjoGEJVAcyey8W73Lyox_Z5yoGWnpnxMdbyDPgwEjrvnbEpLraUUw_e/s237/Meeting+Agenda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiw6IiYVbRiAYIsiP20W6QVZJbOYS0KSVka0-5MUt8QuZEeETZje13lGt4kpC0O9So-C7IwJoYOsibnmqEiKpKcjoGEJVAcyey8W73Lyox_Z5yoGWnpnxMdbyDPgwEjrvnbEpLraUUw_e/s237/Meeting+Agenda.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'm drowning in meetings, reports, and deadlines that I have no time for me. I have not read a book in... Well, I don't remember when. And although I have gone into my sewing room a couple of times in the last couple of weeks, it hasn't been as much as I would have liked. So I thought, maybe the remedy to my problem is to <strong>schedule </strong>my <strong>ME</strong> time in my daily schedule. </div>
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So, what have I been up to the last couple of years?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEe9Y5rPbs79DJWFU_RDVrVyrGK_T5VeUbtAyTjxiErefAaNXT0zBcyqrxHyFdc1dfuhubApowc3uzGSruYSpQU3eiLlHRvF5gYa28gYSPclcSc8fbQPRJm1A2o6ohyphenhyphenhfHChnG6VnilLW/s925/Stator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEe9Y5rPbs79DJWFU_RDVrVyrGK_T5VeUbtAyTjxiErefAaNXT0zBcyqrxHyFdc1dfuhubApowc3uzGSruYSpQU3eiLlHRvF5gYa28gYSPclcSc8fbQPRJm1A2o6ohyphenhyphenhfHChnG6VnilLW/s320/Stator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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First, we had to load this onto a trailer using a Cometto lifting device. Looks like something out of a Transformer movie, doesn't it? </div>
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Once it was loaded to a Cometto 6-line trailer to transport to our site, the men decided they had to have a parade in case something happened...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCJTOsCk3cmSCpW6z9QL0ZKzNsbTmpR1Y6NcCNUlsFBcg5b3fE-hLHp5Xj_y-XdaIdfDh8RZEwsED9NAyvRDqhkRh7o-WcoTnhr1dPBl-j0GVssZxttLnlxXOAK3_BS4fDWjLB2Wei4L-/s913/Houston+We+Have+A+Problem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCJTOsCk3cmSCpW6z9QL0ZKzNsbTmpR1Y6NcCNUlsFBcg5b3fE-hLHp5Xj_y-XdaIdfDh8RZEwsED9NAyvRDqhkRh7o-WcoTnhr1dPBl-j0GVssZxttLnlxXOAK3_BS4fDWjLB2Wei4L-/s320/Houston+We+Have+A+Problem.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Houston, we have a problem. This is what happens when 96 tons shift forward. I asked the 'men' what they thought they could do if the weight shifted... They all just stared at me with their hands on their hips. I'm glad I was not the driver when this happened. Just to give you an idea of the area, the access road is about 14' wide and the other side is a straight drop into the river. That's why I'm Project Controls and not someone who actually builds something.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBacDgjRMdORgls8oseluIINCg4Q39wEFsMkZb92r_2Ce1U7i0f4X-n6Esxtl11y4vNi0HSZR8i1vNTp-3KvGdEcsL_c0DD0f1KY7r-IGapIAWVnJonDw7WinhjFTaLqOQfpckde-7JZ6k/s1430/Setting+in+Place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBacDgjRMdORgls8oseluIINCg4Q39wEFsMkZb92r_2Ce1U7i0f4X-n6Esxtl11y4vNi0HSZR8i1vNTp-3KvGdEcsL_c0DD0f1KY7r-IGapIAWVnJonDw7WinhjFTaLqOQfpckde-7JZ6k/s320/Setting+in+Place.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the Stator as it is being set into place. All 96 tons of it.</div>
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This is the second part of the Generator, called a Rotor. Luckily it didn't weigh as much as the Stator. If I remember correctly, this only weighed about 60 tons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7bBIwff85QYebO4kohl6E0bdE0Tp2c-AbzbqUvYJYNGbifA4MlAiBSfrJp2QVl3OvkoqpMWYQWwlEdqvvV84y3nRQJBOvaQtCmkhJyiECmwMdWcaLniqoOrqt2ZaiILFjndJtx69N8Fb/s1600/Lower+Baker+PH+4+040413_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7bBIwff85QYebO4kohl6E0bdE0Tp2c-AbzbqUvYJYNGbifA4MlAiBSfrJp2QVl3OvkoqpMWYQWwlEdqvvV84y3nRQJBOvaQtCmkhJyiECmwMdWcaLniqoOrqt2ZaiILFjndJtx69N8Fb/s320/Lower+Baker+PH+4+040413_2.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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Two and a half years later... It's a hydroelectric powerhouse.</div>
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This is the project management team. We took this picture on a team building exercise where we drove 4-wheelers and trail bikes up a mountain to about the 3,800-foot level. We were there in June/July but there was still snow on the ground at this elevation. We had a great time riding the trails and feasting on BBQ.</div>
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Back to the present...</div>
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I've started reading a book titled City of Women, written by David R. Gillham. The story takes place during World War II in Berlin. I've set aside 30 minutes of reading time each day and hope to finish the book in a couple of weeks.</div>
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On the quilting side of things, I started a binding party a couple of weeks ago... OK, maybe it's been four or five weeks ago. I've made yards of binding in five different prints and have a couple more to do before I'm finished. I'll post pictures once these have been completed.</div>
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I also have come across a quilt-a-long that I want to participate in:</div>
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<a href="http://quiltinggallery.com/2013/05/31/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along-fabric-requirements/">http://quiltinggallery.com/2013/05/31/aiming-for-accuracy-quilt-along-fabric-requirements/</a></div>
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It's hosted by Michele Foster of Quilting Gallery and she has setup a group on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/aiming.accuracy/">Facebook</a> where everyone can share their progress and ask questions if needed. My only problem is I want to do a scrappy version of the finished quilt and I'm not a scrappy person. I've structured and I'm having a heck of a time deciding what fabrics I want to use in my quilt. I'd love to hear some tips from you if you do scrappy quilts.</div>
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What have you been working on? </div>
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Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-7631510078394630672013-06-26T15:53:00.002-07:002013-06-26T15:53:31.551-07:00Bloglovin Test<a blog="" claim="22mskcm4mgr"" href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" http:="" www.bloglovin.com="">Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5546261/?claim=22mskcm4mgr">Follow</a> my blog with BloglovinDenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-46259340404430723092011-11-02T07:11:00.000-07:002011-11-02T07:11:00.036-07:00Hiding Fabric<div style="text-align: justify;">While I was going through some old magazines and organizing articles I had marked for future projects, I came across an article on hiding your fabric. This particular article had a progression of hiding fabric which I found quite amusing and thought I'd share.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The article is titled 50 Ways To Hide Your Fabric and is written by Cindy L. Weyers, published in the May/June 2004 issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ol><li>Leave fabric in your car. You are probably the only one who cleans it out anyway.</li>
<li>When you no longer have room for passengers, move fabric to trunk.</li>
<li>When trunk no longer closes, bring fabric into the house, but be sure all bags are sealed. Never bring in a bag with a quilt shop logo. It's a dead giveaway.</li>
<li>Get a fabric cupboard with doors that lock. Store fabric inside.</li>
<li>When fabric cupboard is full, pack more in, have a friend lean on the door, then lock. Open cautiously to avoid a fabric explosion.</li>
<li>Hide fabric in closet behind and in shoes. Men never look at women's shoes unless shapely legs are in them.</li>
<li>Hide fabric behind clothes on closet shelves.</li>
<li>Use fabric as shelf liner in closets. He won't notice.</li>
<li>Put false bottoms in clothes hampers. No one digs deeply in them except you!</li>
<li>Lay fabric on dryer as folded clothing.</li>
<li>Store it in rubber tub. Mark as women's clothes.</li>
<li>Store in plain sight, possibly as a dresser scarf. Say it's a new style.</li>
<li>Hang as a shower curtain. He won't know the difference.</li>
<li>Use as a curtain for a window on the shady side of the house.</li>
<li>Place between sheet and comforter on the bed for extra warmth.</li>
<li>Repeat with teenager's beds, but fabric may need to be washed frequently.</li>
<li>Layer under cushion on sofa. Explain it's needed because some remote control-punching, chip-munching, sweating couch potato is squishing the cushions. His mind will turn to processing these comments, and he won't remember the fabric is even there.</li>
<li>Use as a tablecloth.</li>
<li>Use smaller pieces as place mats.</li>
<li>Put in closed box under sink marked "Cleaning Supplies." That should keep him out.</li>
<li>Fill another box and mark as "Feminine Supplies." For men, worse than cleaning supplies.</li>
<li>Fill your cedar chest.</li>
<li>Store in bottom half of the china cupboard.</li>
<li>Use a divider between plates in china cupboard.</li>
<li>Use as a drawer liner.</li>
</ol><div>Do any of these sound familiar? For me, I have a large wardrobe closet that I use for storing fabric. It works great because it can hold A LOT of fabric. Another good place for me is to hang yardages of fabric on a hanger and hang it in the hallway coat closet. My husband never goes in there as he prefers to just toss his coat wherever it lands. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I'll share more of these in another post. In the meantime, where do you hide your fabric?</div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/322/9142239905C3E35437CF85FCFDCE26ED.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-52078823505501906722011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:002011-10-31T07:00:08.841-07:00Charity<div style="text-align: justify;">One of my friends' church is sponsoring a young woman who is homeless and pregnant. I don't know her story on how she got to where she is today, but do know she needs all the support she can get to learn how to cope with her current situation and the strength to make the necessary changes to bring herself to a better place... and Hope.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A group of women in the church put on a baby shower for her and I was asked if I wanted to contribute anything. So, I began working as I had one week before the shower.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think the heirloom stitched footprints are perfect for a baby gift. Don't you?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyIRz-zYkBFVBkvVCzn82M-c2k1vp-kA-6PEmreur8OxVzrwCz1NbEJOqV-p1vAkVnGapjJYDOST0YOcX2AogDDG0c2K3Vf1bg5txqB1qYeyvAOa_tIM6V5xvuP19_krxKjzX5pgznDfg/s1600/P1010052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyIRz-zYkBFVBkvVCzn82M-c2k1vp-kA-6PEmreur8OxVzrwCz1NbEJOqV-p1vAkVnGapjJYDOST0YOcX2AogDDG0c2K3Vf1bg5txqB1qYeyvAOa_tIM6V5xvuP19_krxKjzX5pgznDfg/s320/P1010052.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I just love the pink and brown color combination. I'm going to have to buy more of these prints as I'm sure there will be another request for a baby gift.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although I know there are many people who give of themselves for others, I believe those who knit, sew, and quilt are some of the most generous and thoughtful people I've ever met. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Do you have a favorite charity you contribute to?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-59680480745963154452011-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:002011-10-27T07:00:10.133-07:00Birthday Swap Block - Blackford's BeautyI have another Birthday Swap block to share today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEUSWW9dxtHpL33LA7AP_CffD3qS5lUd8X8PgQ0Vy34whABpVyuTNEYDiw4lYbTWqS_mOj0J6Blhr_CFBcaji8XkicuTRUNunh0fCc4UWstVRJ3n8S34pAWdOIQu5R2wOlTEe3HWhf9-5/s1600/P1010005-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEUSWW9dxtHpL33LA7AP_CffD3qS5lUd8X8PgQ0Vy34whABpVyuTNEYDiw4lYbTWqS_mOj0J6Blhr_CFBcaji8XkicuTRUNunh0fCc4UWstVRJ3n8S34pAWdOIQu5R2wOlTEe3HWhf9-5/s320/P1010005-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This block is called <a href="http://quilterscache.com/B/BlackfordsBeautyBlock.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Blackford's Beauty</span></a> and is for my friend Mary. Mary's request was for any 12" block in a purple and green palette which are two of her favorite colors. This is such a fun color combination. Above is my version of the block. I really like how this one turned out and think I'm going to be making more of this block. For me, this is a more challenging block because there are a lot of pieces requiring a lot of seams to be matched.<br />
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This block was found at the <a href="http://quilterscache.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Quilters Cache</span></a> site. Are you familiar with <a href="http://quilterscache.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Marcia Hohn's</span></a> site? It is a great site with tons of free block patterns as well as reference tools. If you haven't browsed her site, please click on the link and scroll to the bottom of the page where there are several useful links to choose from.<br />
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So tell me, what have you done lately?<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/322/9142239905C3E35437CF85FCFDCE26ED.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-34914137378835315202011-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:002023-11-17T17:32:36.528-08:00Homemade GranolaI love granola but I have to be careful because most granola contains coconut and I'm allergic to coconut. So I make my own, which is probably better for me since I can control the amount of fat and sugar I add to it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFNyscPyMJZOzXLiBQJxG_a99A0VEgOcsI4rpYVZNxcqxw09rB0tr97WU_qGGt91QFOkBF_BVZ1dJYDzAyfdXkyltM6sb0GqpO4tWgEa28WwW1ivXFkzL1-2bxXZkRH8eg2W6KaeKWxKe/s1600/P1010001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFNyscPyMJZOzXLiBQJxG_a99A0VEgOcsI4rpYVZNxcqxw09rB0tr97WU_qGGt91QFOkBF_BVZ1dJYDzAyfdXkyltM6sb0GqpO4tWgEa28WwW1ivXFkzL1-2bxXZkRH8eg2W6KaeKWxKe/s320/P1010001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Dena's Granola<br />
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4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats<br />
3 cups raw nuts (I use a combination of almonds, pecans, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds)<br />
1/2 Tbsp wheat germ<br />
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce<br />
2 Tbsp canola oil<br />
1/4 cup honey (I use local flavored honey)<br />
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (found in the natural health food section at the store)<br />
3/4 cup brown sugar<br />
2 cups dried fruit (I like cranberries, apricots, raisins, and figs)<br />
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees with oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Spray two baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray. I line my baking sheets with parchment paper because it is easier to scoop the granola into a container after it bakes and has cooled down.<br />
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In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, oil, honey, brown rice syrup, and brown sugar. Stir well to dissolve brown sugar. Combine liquids with dry ingredients and stir well making sure the dry ingredients are well coated.<br />
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Divide the granola evenly onto the two baking sheets and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your granola. I like mine a light golden brown because I find it is too crunchy after it cools. I stir mine about every 10 minutes to ensure it browns evenly.<br />
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Remove the granola from the oven and place onto cooling racks. Using my hands, I stir the granola periodically as it cools to keep it from sticking. Once it is cooled, place into an air tight container (I use ziploc bags) and store in the refrigerator. Mine doesn't last very long, but it will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of months.<br />
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A note about <a href="http://brownricesyrups.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">brown rice syrup</span></a>... This has a mild sweetness and is an excellent substitute for sugar because it it doesn't cause your blood sugar level to spike and it is allergen free.<br />
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We use ours in yogurt, as a topping on ice cream, and as a breakfast cereal. Hope you like my version of Granola.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/322/9142239905C3E35437CF85FCFDCE26ED.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-44393952985757071432011-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:002011-10-24T07:00:09.646-07:00Birthday Swap - Twist BlockI thought I'd share another one of the blocks I made for the Birthday Swap I participated in last year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOn1GMYP6Ulos0n_hRzQGXcoGAW6XUu__gvlg2YEf4gRYN7zcem4ckY1zHbmwLUNlrwshYt5iBjKawwyzbVU_tHFk4l58pE5ky1s8sguaMI7QLv8HpJ70drb4ld-W4LMkNSR6hNgj9Kus/s1600/P1010008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOn1GMYP6Ulos0n_hRzQGXcoGAW6XUu__gvlg2YEf4gRYN7zcem4ckY1zHbmwLUNlrwshYt5iBjKawwyzbVU_tHFk4l58pE5ky1s8sguaMI7QLv8HpJ70drb4ld-W4LMkNSR6hNgj9Kus/s320/P1010008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This block was made from my friend Diane who chose the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://delawarequilts.com/BOMs/Twist/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Twist Block</span></a> </span>featured on the <a href="http://delawarequilts.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Delaware Quilts</span></a> site. This is a great site which features several free BOM patterns. The Twist Block was an easy block to assemble and I like the color palette of red, white, and blue which Diane selected for her block. I finished this block about a year ago and I'm disappointed I have not yet delivered it to my friend. Although I could mail it to her, I would rather deliver it in person since I haven't seen her for so long.<br />
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So what have you been working on?<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/322/9142239905C3E35437CF85FCFDCE26ED.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-85396896321236076962011-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:00:06.184-07:00Finding Time For Me<div style="text-align: justify;">I suppose we all have an activity or hobby we would like to spend more time with. Reading, family time, or sewing and quilting are but a few which come to mind. In my quest to rearrange my schedule to find a few minutes to use for my time for me, I find myself feeling like I do during the holidays when I'm setting New Year's resolutions. Hopefully, I'll be more successful in this venture...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In my last post I mentioned I am looking to find ways of finding time for me and below are some of the ways I have come with: (10 Ways to Find Time to Sew, Sew News Summer 2004)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ol><li>Get Up Early - I suppose I could set my alarm earlier. Currently, I'm up at 4:00am but I could just as easily get up at 3:00am. Right?</li>
<li>Take It With You - Great idea for small projects. I'm sure I can find a couple of small projects to start.</li>
<li>Cook Less Often - This is a great way to come up with extra time. I often spend a weekend make large batches of soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, and chili to freeze for later.</li>
<li>Get Help Around The House - Where are the kids when I need them? Probably trying to find time to clean their own homes.</li>
<li>Lower Your Standards - In this step, the author states not every meal needs to homemade and not every bed needs to be made every day. This one would be hard for me.</li>
<li>Schedule Sewing Time - I use my Outlook Calendar for most everything so why not use it to schedule an appointment for me? Problem is I'm not on the computer enough at home for those pop up reminders to remind me it's me time. hmmmm...</li>
<li>Keep Track of Your Progress - Maintaining a record of your completed projects is a great motivator to finish projects. It is really an eye opener to see to see the amount of progress you can make by just setting aside 30 minutes each day... Or even two or three times a week.</li>
<li>Identify Time Stealers - Along with cooking and housekeeping, the author mentions television and Internet surfing as the biggest time stealers in our lives. Facebook anyone? LOL</li>
<li>Designate A Space Just For Sewing - Of course, you still have to keep this area organized and clean so there are no deterrents keeping you from utilizing the space. </li>
<li>Keep It In Perspective - One of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to make time for the things we enjoy. The things we enjoy should not become another chore on our to-do list. </li>
</ol><div>With these tips in mind, my end-of-the-year resolution is to make time for me. To do the things I enjoy doing while sharing them with those close to me.</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/322/9142239905C3E35437CF85FCFDCE26ED.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-82213392319101800892011-10-16T11:43:00.000-07:002011-10-16T11:43:23.586-07:00Hello.... Its Me<div style="text-align: justify;">Has it really been nine months since my last post? I know I've been busy, but hadn't realized how busy until a couple weeks ago when I looked at my blog and saw how long it had been since posting. Why does it seem as though time passes at lightning speed as we grow older?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I haven't had a lot of sewing time, which really is disappointing and frustrating for me. I've always enjoyed my time in my sewing / quilting studio. Not only is my sewing / quilting time a means of expressing my creativity, but it is a stress release as well which is a great way to end a stressful day. The combination of singing and dancing to my favorite music while brainstorming creative quilting designs is so uplifting... OK, I have to admit that I've gotten a few chuckles from some of my friends and family who have caught me dancing and singing. Some have even threatened me with photos showing me in my vulnerable moments. I guess I should remember to lock the doors and close the blinds before I start to rock out. LOL</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In an effort to rearrange my tight schedule I've been trying to find a way of squeezing regularly scheduled sewing, quilting, dancing, and singing for me time. Care to join me as work on rediscovering my passion?</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/322/9142239905C3E35437CF85FCFDCE26ED.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-89752161017805129982010-12-13T13:48:00.000-08:002010-12-13T13:48:53.169-08:00Birthday Swap Block - Joseph's Delight<div style="text-align: justify;">Here is another block I've completed for the Birthday Swap I'm participating in.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBLK_b4w_Y5zsqaK84DRYIfTjauQuikV5e6HzFCw0szxSghY62NxQtAJno_usBAlz38qwdYkFs1FXEnk2RdrpwVaobb-85BWrIqZmNirEPrvMb4oiWz-jeFy1FM9xDjPwZu9XOJxLygj9/s1600/P1010050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBLK_b4w_Y5zsqaK84DRYIfTjauQuikV5e6HzFCw0szxSghY62NxQtAJno_usBAlz38qwdYkFs1FXEnk2RdrpwVaobb-85BWrIqZmNirEPrvMb4oiWz-jeFy1FM9xDjPwZu9XOJxLygj9/s320/P1010050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This one is for my friend Deana and the block is called <a href="http://www.quilterscache.com/J/JosephsDelightBlock.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Joseph's Delight</span></a>. It's a 12-inch block and she had requested it be made in burgundy or teal shades with a WOW background. I like the block and think it would be perfect in a scrappy quilt or perhaps batiks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, the year is almost over and I'm finishing my final catch-up block. Afterwards I'll assemble the final block for this swap. Hard to believe the year has passed us by already. I'll be posting information on my next block in the next day or two. In the meantime, what are you working on? Anything special planned for the new year?</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-45119518481825707132010-12-09T13:20:00.000-08:002010-12-09T13:20:56.420-08:00Another Birthday Swap Block<div style="text-align: justify;">In my last post I mentioned I had been working on a couple of my blocks for the Birthday Swap I'm a participant on and I thought I'd share one of them with you today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm a little behind on my blocks but I'm still creeping along in an effort to catch-up. I think everyone joins swaps with the best of intentions and don't anticipate the hiccups life throws in our directions...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzjngGow38Qhobha-qwCgEFsyYauVj6ZoYkWylelz8F0no8txaeI-UYZbKM8E20X5mqvqJ2lFeiJ7cWovmwagWMkFDtOExKV-Dnpk4LbqhUwJgtP6HgpnAa2R792N72EeHW03CmmnA5hj/s1600/P1010046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzjngGow38Qhobha-qwCgEFsyYauVj6ZoYkWylelz8F0no8txaeI-UYZbKM8E20X5mqvqJ2lFeiJ7cWovmwagWMkFDtOExKV-Dnpk4LbqhUwJgtP6HgpnAa2R792N72EeHW03CmmnA5hj/s320/P1010046.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">My friend Billie wanted a block of trees in any size divisible by 3. I chose a paper-pieced pattern by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.caroldoak.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Carol Doak</span></a> </span>from her book titled <i>Three Hundred Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks</i>. I love Carol Doak's pattern because most of her books come with a CD of the patterns that you can dictate the size and print out on the appropriate medium. She also includes the cutting dimensions of each piece which you can use if you're using the original sized pattern. Even though I'm a little late with these blocks, I'm hoping Billie with enjoy receiving them and using them in one of her projects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you're a little timid in using a paper-piece pattern, you can use my <a href="http://threadstofabric.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-paper-piece-tutorial.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">tutorial</span></a> to guide you through the process. I know how frustrating it can be to learn a new technique and I was beyond frustration when I tried to teach myself how to paper-piece until my friend Diane sat down with me and taught me the basics. I'm forever thankful for her patience and teaching abilities because I now have the ability to enjoy incorporating this method into my quilting projects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'll be highlighting more of my Birthday Swap blocks soon. In the meantime, why don't you tell me what you're working on.</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-401914521769169832010-12-06T13:21:00.000-08:002010-12-06T13:21:00.341-08:00Peeking Out From Under Scraps<div style="text-align: justify;">Gosh, I hadn't realized it had been this long since my last post. I've been so busy... Time sure does fly!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was a little busy preparing for the Thanksgiving Holiday as the kids and grand kids were going to invade our quiet home. It is quite a job child-proofing a home. Then we had a miniature snowstorm the week of Thanksgiving putting everyone in high-gear before the day even arrived. I tried doing my shopping for our Thanksgiving meal and it was so crowded in the store I couldn't fit my grocery cart down the isles. Instead I had my husband stay with the cart at the end of each isle while I squeezed my way to find the items I needed. As we were shopping there was a small child expressing their unhappiness. Very loudly, I might add. I felt for the parents because I know how miserable children are when it's nap time. We survived the battle of the grocery stores. All the children and grandchildren arrived safely and we spent a few days playing games, making tons of food, and sharing laughter. I hope your holiday was as enjoyable as mine was.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, Thanksgiving isn't the only thing keeping me busy... I've spent countless hours in my sewing studio. I have some pictures to share and I'll start with this one today.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdb33jY7QaJoyIZOvA856Cuq2Ixu3cFjNnHAHU3ZmMHb3QIy1E87DbDk5kAgVQH6-IF_2ye1B1psb9XE5jc-IBDGGhOf_SNU-8XJ9H7M-L34pD4FKMNEYouuO15YYcoxad6ZoNa_mTfzJs/s1600/P1010032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdb33jY7QaJoyIZOvA856Cuq2Ixu3cFjNnHAHU3ZmMHb3QIy1E87DbDk5kAgVQH6-IF_2ye1B1psb9XE5jc-IBDGGhOf_SNU-8XJ9H7M-L34pD4FKMNEYouuO15YYcoxad6ZoNa_mTfzJs/s320/P1010032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">My grandson Elijah celebrated his 4th birthday on Thanksgiving. That is Elijah with his mom and friends at his party. We had his party a week before his birthday because he was celebrating his birthday in Disneyland this year. I made him a quilt for his birthday:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfobDuewK70NfKYzWjMi_ewHeRRGDj2RoLeD6lqA1zX9qkD-9dzv7T_O5_M9BOigAXwbD2Os8vhrF9W7RGq2SVqxNNlZXtXYp-S4zVbE1BhfVvI1ZqfeyR9VfOD1krKMqwHG-KuModxLA/s1600/P1010011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfobDuewK70NfKYzWjMi_ewHeRRGDj2RoLeD6lqA1zX9qkD-9dzv7T_O5_M9BOigAXwbD2Os8vhrF9W7RGq2SVqxNNlZXtXYp-S4zVbE1BhfVvI1ZqfeyR9VfOD1krKMqwHG-KuModxLA/s320/P1010011.JPG" width="178" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here is the quilt prior to adding the borders.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFROdG3nr4iFOUOs9UXVL5ylHTfDWlhHK4HsNdtLb_bjMn0QTk1d4k7Vzw3wtheYboitS9v82NHFHhlRaw9ppL2j_ptG0VQdjAmdMsA2XSP4OYBiJicv1oCQP1GIhGyXHaUtGPrtS-wgW/s1600/P1010064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFROdG3nr4iFOUOs9UXVL5ylHTfDWlhHK4HsNdtLb_bjMn0QTk1d4k7Vzw3wtheYboitS9v82NHFHhlRaw9ppL2j_ptG0VQdjAmdMsA2XSP4OYBiJicv1oCQP1GIhGyXHaUtGPrtS-wgW/s320/P1010064.JPG" width="205" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is the finished quilt. He hasn't received it yet because I wasn't able to finish it before he left for Disneyland (All those darn power outages cut into my quilting time.), but he knows I have something special waiting for him.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The quilt design is called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.quiltmaker.com/patterns/details.html?idx=5185_"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Warm Wishes</span></a> </span>and is available as a free pattern from <a href="http://www.quiltmaker.com/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Quiltmaker Magazine</span></a>. It is such a simple pattern that goes together quickly. Perfect for someone wanting to make their first quilt or needing a quick gift. I finished it with freemotion quilting using a meandering design. I'm just not confident in my machine quilting skills to try anything more complex yet. In fact, the entire time I was quilting I kept hearing Obi-Wan Kanobi's voice in my head saying, "Don't cross the stream Luke! Let the Force be with you."</div><br />
Have I lost it, or what? LOL<br />
<br />
What is everyone else up to?<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/313/BE717874FB1E2DC502D19C72635DD47B.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-87656789734300900652010-10-07T14:42:00.000-07:002010-10-07T14:42:06.701-07:00A Different Kind of Art<div style="text-align: justify;">Where does the time go? It seems like just a couple of weeks ago we were celebrating the late arrival of our summer and as I sit writing today's post, I am listening to the wind howling while watching the stampede of leaves floating to the ground. What a colorful carpet they make! I love all the vibrant colors of fall and Washington State is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I live outside a small town called Sedro-Woolley located near the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. Years ago there were two towns named Sedro and Woolley separated by the Skagit River and the people of these towns decided to merge, becoming one. Most of the families have lived here for generations, supporting themselves by the logging, fishing, or farming industries. Of course, today, we have fewer farms and an endless book of restrictions causing many families to move to other industries for survival, including a couple of oil refineries located in nearby Anacortes and Ferndale, but logging is in the heart of the community.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Every year the town hosts a celebration called Founders Days where there are several events for everyone's enjoyment. One of these events is the re-enactment of the infamous 1914 bank robbery. Locals act out the robbery in the middle of town to newcomers amazement. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another local event is the annual Loggerodeo held every summer. The event stretches from one end of town to the other for a total of five or six blocks. There is the usual traveling carnival and vendor food you would expect to find, but something you may not expect, and one of my favorites, is the competition of chainsaw carvings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In one of the parking lots there is a supply of logs that by the end of the weekend will be transformed into beautiful pieces of art. Many of the previous year's entries line the main street of town and I thought I'd share them with you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB5szm-8K08qd5ebRldnItyrQM-UE6qP7BPpmBh9G7F4mYLlGugmK0w2OevHVLptrFUKvInyUSYn84kJolUdrFjFuzcidggHX0qnnhY_YEIHZe2XXf-ETcPJrmxhLc2ARi6Tur8xe0VDx/s1600/P1010106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB5szm-8K08qd5ebRldnItyrQM-UE6qP7BPpmBh9G7F4mYLlGugmK0w2OevHVLptrFUKvInyUSYn84kJolUdrFjFuzcidggHX0qnnhY_YEIHZe2XXf-ETcPJrmxhLc2ARi6Tur8xe0VDx/s320/P1010106.JPG" width="250" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwUNeJ62uicw8TnuThlQyz-RoE6djzUTVErLmm3yKJjA1sSCHG1OiHLIhHulIZvXZBkd1i-AvwI9LfbUujrMdsfKnnRKUC6UWhHHB6UCQaSfT2oVBkBXYQ5UzreY4ofVB7yuP9aZqSZ8l/s1600/P1010115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwUNeJ62uicw8TnuThlQyz-RoE6djzUTVErLmm3yKJjA1sSCHG1OiHLIhHulIZvXZBkd1i-AvwI9LfbUujrMdsfKnnRKUC6UWhHHB6UCQaSfT2oVBkBXYQ5UzreY4ofVB7yuP9aZqSZ8l/s320/P1010115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It always amazes me at the amount of detail these artists are able to accomplish with the use of a chainsaw. I love the eagle displayed on the bench. Each year there is an eagle festival held in a neighboring town called Concrete. Perhaps next year I will travel up there so I can get some pictures of all the eagles as they feast on the fish in the river.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just to make this somewhat quilty, I'm posting a picture of my cutting table as it looks today:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPlRJUN6h07tt6T7OgW1UlJ13SHGkH4JafhzfV82Utptv58zR4WDIfg1dd2Asd4kRnbLOu-tXxp0JeK5UObBYC-OJsOViWyj9e5zCP3aPO5SM08VqfpQU4UxAEES77POktEYg04ShkWDA/s1600/P1010129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPlRJUN6h07tt6T7OgW1UlJ13SHGkH4JafhzfV82Utptv58zR4WDIfg1dd2Asd4kRnbLOu-tXxp0JeK5UObBYC-OJsOViWyj9e5zCP3aPO5SM08VqfpQU4UxAEES77POktEYg04ShkWDA/s320/P1010129.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here is one from the other angle:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-mQu0LikmMtbvt9wCvz_QKsdQMVt2caRpbjNz5qtwitpX-Pe9CH4bm079zPsiWKSb3ACcNmO28sIcIAKgI0Cf0ortBzp66_QEOmkUcZJjW12AmBA1bxk6Kbn0TqAvg4vQ54BbXVEb3kg/s1600/P1010132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-mQu0LikmMtbvt9wCvz_QKsdQMVt2caRpbjNz5qtwitpX-Pe9CH4bm079zPsiWKSb3ACcNmO28sIcIAKgI0Cf0ortBzp66_QEOmkUcZJjW12AmBA1bxk6Kbn0TqAvg4vQ54BbXVEb3kg/s320/P1010132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes. I know. It is a little difficult to get any sewing/quilting done when there isn't any room... Not to mention my Pfaff machine is still packed up from my last sew-in. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what have you been doing?</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/173/9F9BA640EC89F1875D37803C2E858561.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> </span></div>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-50237878063940154292010-09-13T22:16:00.000-07:002010-09-13T22:16:59.165-07:00What I Did This Summer...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello? Hello? Is anyone out there? Testing... One, two, three. I know I have been absent as though I was on summer vacation like a regular school girl. I wish I could say I was busy having fun playing with friends, riding my bike, swimming in the lake at family picnics and enjoying all that the summer sun has to offer. But, alas, I can't. Life has kept me busy and I let myself get into a... Well, I'm not sure what to call it. A good friend of mine likes to use the term funk. So, in taking a cue from my friend Diane, I guess I've allowed myself to slip into a 'funk'. How do you pull yourself back up? How do you force yourself back into the streamline of life among everyone else? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've scarcely touched my emails and haven't been in my sewing studio in about three months. I walk past it and glance at the chaos I've allowed to nest. Unfinished projects tossed around in piles. Discarded like an old worn out book whose pages are too faded to read. One of my sewing machines is still in its case from the last sew-in I attended a few months back. Untouched along with the projects I took to work on. My family and friends would be shocked to see the discord. The disorganization I've allowed to take hold of my sanctuary. My sacred place of comfort.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recently heard a discussion regarding </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><a href="http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/">Professor Randy Pausch </a></i>and his last lecture. I haven't heard his lecture, but in it he states that in the game of life you must decide whether you are Tigger or Eyeore. And only after you identify who you are can you learn how events in your life affects you and how you affect your life. I'm paraphrasing based on what I heard. But it really made me think about the state I've been in for the last few months and how I'm the one who has the power to make changes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I want to thank everyone who has sent emails and left messages expressing concern. I really have made some wonderful friends and am thankful for each one. I won't get into the pieces of my life that have caused me to retreat into solitude. I will, however, say that I'm working on changes and hope to be regularly posting to my blog again soon as I make my way back into my sewing studio and life again.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><br />
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<div align="justify"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/173/9F9BA640EC89F1875D37803C2E858561.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> </span></div>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-62210513721370036722010-05-17T14:35:00.000-07:002010-05-17T14:35:34.940-07:00Another Finished Quilt Top...I can't believe I've completed two quilt tops in two weeks. See what happens when I'm given a challenge? I guess all I needed was a good swift kick! LOL <div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAKT0me9S3FUlaEJkg4LJT1dBdZxiUo01DSZGeE0bHs-PxnhaLFMMJ5NlqWfJQAmP-u-WxTXxtt1S36bOezhUy-DKkL8BtiERkEITDaOX8DmdtJW5M3UuV7cSngF0tf6gypcpebzw4rwC/s1600/P1010001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAKT0me9S3FUlaEJkg4LJT1dBdZxiUo01DSZGeE0bHs-PxnhaLFMMJ5NlqWfJQAmP-u-WxTXxtt1S36bOezhUy-DKkL8BtiERkEITDaOX8DmdtJW5M3UuV7cSngF0tf6gypcpebzw4rwC/s400/P1010001.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I started with three prints. One yard of the molted orange/red, one yard of the floral, and one-half yard of the yellow. I then cut them into 5" squares, 48 squares for the orange/red and floral prints, and twelve of the yellow print.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0MHfieHtgUk4VPZNsZty1lB63AUkx8DkEv-8-pjW5ZaR6rAlVS9SvEWEPwi0oaMrFRnaSyhLnFMEVh9z3l5RiQWd0ZzbCeUzZgXxGtQyYdiNedXo078MxjKao-RRpUyZ0fnTiZCQ6bNg/s1600/P1010009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0MHfieHtgUk4VPZNsZty1lB63AUkx8DkEv-8-pjW5ZaR6rAlVS9SvEWEPwi0oaMrFRnaSyhLnFMEVh9z3l5RiQWd0ZzbCeUzZgXxGtQyYdiNedXo078MxjKao-RRpUyZ0fnTiZCQ6bNg/s400/P1010009.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I then stitched them into twelve nine patches. Following the same technique as in my earlier Disappearing Nine-Patch, I cut my nine-patches into four equal pieces, squared them into 7" squares and put them onto my design wall...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T0RcfM7YiX5QbWNkIrSIuMkM4NTiwkg0RzkCNQse7KQf5xbTcPsPVtpWmrbDZNQlX0QH6KpaT-TLr0nFDdnhkKbBuy21r3UU3WBK-4R-yAZZBhygrRd4PLH7BEMG4L4ebaak0hMMNeOT/s1600/P1010024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T0RcfM7YiX5QbWNkIrSIuMkM4NTiwkg0RzkCNQse7KQf5xbTcPsPVtpWmrbDZNQlX0QH6KpaT-TLr0nFDdnhkKbBuy21r3UU3WBK-4R-yAZZBhygrRd4PLH7BEMG4L4ebaak0hMMNeOT/s400/P1010024.JPG" width="352" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Using the same design layout I laid my blocks into the design; six blocks across and eight blocks down. Above is what it looked like after assembling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YifiNLKu2TVruZxeF2g6vKML_AdREa0VPbcnjcsqT_JJtUr-9gu0dKt0v7GwRHAKm4OE1L8Xl5kJyhB5k2lWV9zrKchGsbW4REFu0MPMQ6V59ur3ouMBl0rx15LEstCpC_hDHYS-eKPP/s1600/P1010035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YifiNLKu2TVruZxeF2g6vKML_AdREa0VPbcnjcsqT_JJtUr-9gu0dKt0v7GwRHAKm4OE1L8Xl5kJyhB5k2lWV9zrKchGsbW4REFu0MPMQ6V59ur3ouMBl0rx15LEstCpC_hDHYS-eKPP/s400/P1010035.JPG" width="282" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I added two borders. The yellow border was cut 2" for a 1.5" finished border and the orange/red border was cut 6" for a 5.5" finished border.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ry5Kgw38AK973xPXV3nb83oXOAuX2v9E5jekEKAjosrvJB9aXQoWYQ0Yy6UtnxeQFSqh29TKVSJl7yjhR1arV76B6LSmzPEZbJyUcEEJNZ8-v-4ttZwlWEu6HV-6Bi0XIcnj_QPC7hrO/s1600/P1010045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ry5Kgw38AK973xPXV3nb83oXOAuX2v9E5jekEKAjosrvJB9aXQoWYQ0Yy6UtnxeQFSqh29TKVSJl7yjhR1arV76B6LSmzPEZbJyUcEEJNZ8-v-4ttZwlWEu6HV-6Bi0XIcnj_QPC7hrO/s320/P1010045.JPG" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here is my finished quilt top. It is hard to believe this is the same pattern as my scrappy D9P quilt from last week. I'm calling this Citrus Splash because it makes me think of oranges, tangerines, and lemons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Now, how should I quilt these two tops?</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/43/FC538063FDECDB450F8FE8C2770D1B5B.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-35979053124962745252010-05-10T20:21:00.000-07:002010-05-10T20:21:25.040-07:00Disappearing Nine-Patch Tutorial<div style="text-align: justify;">I've been busy sewing the last couple of days using a new-to-me technique. I've always been fascinated with the Disappearing Nine-Patch (D9P) pattern because of its versatility and ease in making a quilt that looks as though you spent a lot of time on it. Although there are several good tutorials for this pattern, I developed this tutorial so that even a beginner could master this fun technique.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8zmrCF543hXz8CXT4Kw_SHLqMGjFwAJepgwDnqpuitIRarCpT4cGUS7ZmNx7kdJ4RnbfbB9ZXyvmdnuD1KMGxRrDgKtLpexkdQSFF9wA8TIlkPYwvYFGPhj9CB3vSNq4GxNBuY2G1_KI/s1600/P1010011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8zmrCF543hXz8CXT4Kw_SHLqMGjFwAJepgwDnqpuitIRarCpT4cGUS7ZmNx7kdJ4RnbfbB9ZXyvmdnuD1KMGxRrDgKtLpexkdQSFF9wA8TIlkPYwvYFGPhj9CB3vSNq4GxNBuY2G1_KI/s400/P1010011.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I started with two charm packs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCO6viaigO776QkU89pGYTJsJ2RrDsmGaMPf2ZLvXVg44nr-3W5t5DeEIF28YDAjs3GiBqBDeE-_Bs3VIDDUZQpLJq-MZ-xUJyCC2xqP00vp1TckifQk4cyLyl5ybguAOxf5mtMEYUdTg/s1600/P1010020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCO6viaigO776QkU89pGYTJsJ2RrDsmGaMPf2ZLvXVg44nr-3W5t5DeEIF28YDAjs3GiBqBDeE-_Bs3VIDDUZQpLJq-MZ-xUJyCC2xqP00vp1TckifQk4cyLyl5ybguAOxf5mtMEYUdTg/s400/P1010020.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I separated the packs into colors because although my design will be scrappy, I wanted to use the red for my center block.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM4hT2-QKzIajIqK8Au76_UB3S6fuCyft1vQUBIUST6ZvY6Vf7qq_Qw16D7Mgy2NWiODmDO1Vsod1D_thP2fFKFHtJc_IafUTappvyKNzLBc_74_gYjN5WAbd0s86isohjU3GSukD561L/s1600/P1010048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM4hT2-QKzIajIqK8Au76_UB3S6fuCyft1vQUBIUST6ZvY6Vf7qq_Qw16D7Mgy2NWiODmDO1Vsod1D_thP2fFKFHtJc_IafUTappvyKNzLBc_74_gYjN5WAbd0s86isohjU3GSukD561L/s400/P1010048.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Next I laid out my nine-patches on my sewing table so that I could quickly assemble them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUTbE7gTa7_0wxBLYo53ER49dUyP1GdkAyaa_XLoOvUGTGzcYmz4jeYcpSRHVn61aPW7y_9ouRVbluxA4TNbPhDiSM-O1o9yzGSFsCrO7lugv9VbS-fd5_LDnfKDUnYwep_Nw2FyfqOLk/s1600/P1010049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUTbE7gTa7_0wxBLYo53ER49dUyP1GdkAyaa_XLoOvUGTGzcYmz4jeYcpSRHVn61aPW7y_9ouRVbluxA4TNbPhDiSM-O1o9yzGSFsCrO7lugv9VbS-fd5_LDnfKDUnYwep_Nw2FyfqOLk/s400/P1010049.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By following my planned layout, I placed the top middle square onto the upper corner.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZYUpujBz-xELfYFGfD_DdeAuv_mL3hSnJu8g0sXV6vG4_VTftZoTfWPSGAup_xl4v3XjTaEDGLx4jv4XIojV2je34ACk_XbNE-_bRtfKQ3-L2NMKDOG7YqHrrEvIITMuFvDZXcTdhUJt/s1600/P1010050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZYUpujBz-xELfYFGfD_DdeAuv_mL3hSnJu8g0sXV6vG4_VTftZoTfWPSGAup_xl4v3XjTaEDGLx4jv4XIojV2je34ACk_XbNE-_bRtfKQ3-L2NMKDOG7YqHrrEvIITMuFvDZXcTdhUJt/s400/P1010050.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Carefully lining up the edges.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIcqiuoK9heVHQyJp-EPdiReEafJsZtvUy5tMXM5KNmXgHRLAuzDjkCPRLZx-N65mmT1THsKULQR4dOY54aZH_ALG1ZVBoED337xZAjdsIkG_hd32lwlPKl3Ox09un_0Fb5oPohzb7NXU/s1600/P1010052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIcqiuoK9heVHQyJp-EPdiReEafJsZtvUy5tMXM5KNmXgHRLAuzDjkCPRLZx-N65mmT1THsKULQR4dOY54aZH_ALG1ZVBoED337xZAjdsIkG_hd32lwlPKl3Ox09un_0Fb5oPohzb7NXU/s400/P1010052.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before sewing the 1/4" seam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgDdAGk5svH7zEvWp8PRn_axLKEmgizQArTfA-5Umx1ODuVV_oxLcHJrU3JEN6-n2pmhTvOvxDVvQYYh8xQVfWHQAEKbA1XnF_bB16u7E8CxSUThrXpkhPGV8h7-sbgyGYTfVzJ9JLpFG/s1600/P1010054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgDdAGk5svH7zEvWp8PRn_axLKEmgizQArTfA-5Umx1ODuVV_oxLcHJrU3JEN6-n2pmhTvOvxDVvQYYh8xQVfWHQAEKbA1XnF_bB16u7E8CxSUThrXpkhPGV8h7-sbgyGYTfVzJ9JLpFG/s400/P1010054.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I followed the same process for the middle row.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSO6lhDaX3Xhd-D0L37M1o0ZFBCTh-ysbDZR30468VcVsKPQk4dxTDMFPqRJpzWQg2EQeOQ2k3hrpbOFMJWJAVWd5wRq76WU2tmCy4xmUXEZpx4vqznZuqwv4CDeOKM1xYjmDuEHo46KB/s1600/P1010058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSO6lhDaX3Xhd-D0L37M1o0ZFBCTh-ysbDZR30468VcVsKPQk4dxTDMFPqRJpzWQg2EQeOQ2k3hrpbOFMJWJAVWd5wRq76WU2tmCy4xmUXEZpx4vqznZuqwv4CDeOKM1xYjmDuEHo46KB/s400/P1010058.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the third row.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNewOfz-R7h4LUxz07zNhfY4IB4MqpRFj0Eo5-LqF5-EAyC3OBmoIU5tib_cim2XxDqxKAyECoqwd7xEG-lbWs7EuUr7oh3Twv0vO_pwAWWTHM-b-Wo0dnGInqvStm6G92folrSHMQuVP/s1600/P1010066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNewOfz-R7h4LUxz07zNhfY4IB4MqpRFj0Eo5-LqF5-EAyC3OBmoIU5tib_cim2XxDqxKAyECoqwd7xEG-lbWs7EuUr7oh3Twv0vO_pwAWWTHM-b-Wo0dnGInqvStm6G92folrSHMQuVP/s400/P1010066.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I chose to press the seams as follows: For the top and bottom rows, I chose to press the seam towards the outer corners, For the middle row, I chose to press the seam towards the middle square. To achieve this, place the block you want the seam to be pressed towards on top before pressing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The first step in pressing your seam is to set your stitches by pressing the closed seam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfqjyye4Rxcd1iBkU-awVSZxbreZTLWGsZWvBQxnWzdbkTymOBQsmLMzdIDMePM1-WcBYJgQzZAg6iYysNzhzQycKYR_t-QjwHTLtfDKAqZjCbO1XRYlNQPff5HTkvDbnnVbmcsaTSCpE/s1600/P1010067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfqjyye4Rxcd1iBkU-awVSZxbreZTLWGsZWvBQxnWzdbkTymOBQsmLMzdIDMePM1-WcBYJgQzZAg6iYysNzhzQycKYR_t-QjwHTLtfDKAqZjCbO1XRYlNQPff5HTkvDbnnVbmcsaTSCpE/s400/P1010067.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After setting your stitches, you open up your seam and finger press it before pressing with your iron. I have found by finger pressing the seam first, it ensures my seams are opened fully and I retain the correct seam allowance and block size.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When pressing the seams, it is critical to take care and press in an up and down motion. If you move the iron back and forth, you risk distorting your fabric and you will have problems achieving accurate blocks or matching seams.</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvIuTPNeow2K0r90yXgCmCDb6P8lBRumWiAVtWp4ykG5ghpYHSHwsM2OE0sEy2PPTo3ShS-TIJN1TBpX2xe2wDHdTDJOqcewUtEeTfHzvlU1E4FwJ1pLIMM6I3JLhB-5mFEzKRbkS6wIs/s1600/P1010081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvIuTPNeow2K0r90yXgCmCDb6P8lBRumWiAVtWp4ykG5ghpYHSHwsM2OE0sEy2PPTo3ShS-TIJN1TBpX2xe2wDHdTDJOqcewUtEeTfHzvlU1E4FwJ1pLIMM6I3JLhB-5mFEzKRbkS6wIs/s400/P1010081.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what my nine-patch blocks looks like at this point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizci5CYQs6OfKO9FOcfjZVE8kSml4JAyxFSYMVM66ce_QFPMbFdNBEZC5dszWScmDD8VzLpq8c9HEmGAexVu2a1tMDe3QQlu_IP32QP3p3G-SdEdgaIStn5D47H7X_JocrSBelBTcdON8F/s1600/P1010082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizci5CYQs6OfKO9FOcfjZVE8kSml4JAyxFSYMVM66ce_QFPMbFdNBEZC5dszWScmDD8VzLpq8c9HEmGAexVu2a1tMDe3QQlu_IP32QP3p3G-SdEdgaIStn5D47H7X_JocrSBelBTcdON8F/s400/P1010082.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Repeat this process for the third block for each row.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PaO3bt5iHp5jjYxDK77fBxe2p7OvMoAFdAlpqvWv6H5G-BhTSsfdYGkuvLJ61_6NApdo3_nMuigeLfELHKxqG4-vCRPnj0FBSmhiRVQ8LFqfzLqSgGFfcfVYR3k2awQwSWiVPirT6vKU/s1600/P1010105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PaO3bt5iHp5jjYxDK77fBxe2p7OvMoAFdAlpqvWv6H5G-BhTSsfdYGkuvLJ61_6NApdo3_nMuigeLfELHKxqG4-vCRPnj0FBSmhiRVQ8LFqfzLqSgGFfcfVYR3k2awQwSWiVPirT6vKU/s400/P1010105.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After pressing the seams, it is time to join the horizontal rows.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHIsK-Zsi3vJodJAX5fjM1BQNddPUeIkmGS_ERrQlaVWJc_ay8-1lvxI4KR4CEPA2QE_dI-4hkOaOWHPyhnXTTyJHpRjbIdOridaeCscuQI5pJZT-MmNqfGsnNyrb4Q41UuG_4P8B4Rq9/s1600/P1010106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHIsK-Zsi3vJodJAX5fjM1BQNddPUeIkmGS_ERrQlaVWJc_ay8-1lvxI4KR4CEPA2QE_dI-4hkOaOWHPyhnXTTyJHpRjbIdOridaeCscuQI5pJZT-MmNqfGsnNyrb4Q41UuG_4P8B4Rq9/s400/P1010106.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Take the top row and place it onto the middle row, lining up the edges.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxMdP7lOa9n7gDW2YMOnSxiP7tnWJCIbEqofffYKCuDdc9Ij8KKcjD810U2WGIpNvN3w-L4FNocZ9CbGH5A6qA-nKoYPO716ofwFb3JgEtX6eKXbqOnvnBtJXOvj2uZZ8qRxGGpbnByhf/s1600/P1010111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxMdP7lOa9n7gDW2YMOnSxiP7tnWJCIbEqofffYKCuDdc9Ij8KKcjD810U2WGIpNvN3w-L4FNocZ9CbGH5A6qA-nKoYPO716ofwFb3JgEtX6eKXbqOnvnBtJXOvj2uZZ8qRxGGpbnByhf/s400/P1010111.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">By pressing the seams using the method I did, I will be able to easily match my seams and achieve perfectly matched corners. </div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPkhe7Rrify9mOi9XAw5aezeyFV1oOnsbScHMvswnB8-Wnz8xc4rWU1TwfN35pQbL9jb_DHvRExzswL2-8rr-Uxe8JsEJJDCRfU5E5k2cP71rvRWM913y4HRi1H-hgF6qxl1bF8gllXX2/s1600/P1010108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPkhe7Rrify9mOi9XAw5aezeyFV1oOnsbScHMvswnB8-Wnz8xc4rWU1TwfN35pQbL9jb_DHvRExzswL2-8rr-Uxe8JsEJJDCRfU5E5k2cP71rvRWM913y4HRi1H-hgF6qxl1bF8gllXX2/s400/P1010108.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Lay the seams on top of each other.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_c5N8f-Xh0l7trlfpj-n0KP_MmCBrNSZn2R8wjUiv0T3CFpxfEsnYJZab4YdqAbY6u0Z-jlR_M9FpkREsJXNLrml4LIYpZkz1jRQaXNicjA4IaKT87eDD9FkBJr71lKcR2WKKA36CDaYk/s1600/P1010109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_c5N8f-Xh0l7trlfpj-n0KP_MmCBrNSZn2R8wjUiv0T3CFpxfEsnYJZab4YdqAbY6u0Z-jlR_M9FpkREsJXNLrml4LIYpZkz1jRQaXNicjA4IaKT87eDD9FkBJr71lKcR2WKKA36CDaYk/s400/P1010109.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As you slide the seams against each other, you can feel when they but up against each other. I prefer not to pin my seams, unless they are in more complex piecing patterns. However, the seams can be pinned to ensure the seams don't move while you're stitching the seam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mh3gPPpbRzFHP_B1m958oZrSg5uKsqiiK4YuIy7haCqNvjJBpUwEncdDK5r_NuY1fi8SqH5SHQdSwVCXfpyQfcAi9RzaGmb7ljvsAM93HSxPCPuRLU2hB5o57TXbvjOenYzhe1mmz4W7/s1600/P1010110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mh3gPPpbRzFHP_B1m958oZrSg5uKsqiiK4YuIy7haCqNvjJBpUwEncdDK5r_NuY1fi8SqH5SHQdSwVCXfpyQfcAi9RzaGmb7ljvsAM93HSxPCPuRLU2hB5o57TXbvjOenYzhe1mmz4W7/s400/P1010110.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Once the seam has been matched, I hold onto it until just before the seam is stitched. Sometimes I will use a stiletto or wooden skewer to hold the seam in place until it is stitched. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IFnzhe7-by_J8I4zqb-HWfw0LRczP1S2lfDOQfddAfwy4hfBw7vThFc8GUkbasG1PGy8NY9DcMw66qEgJ8KmzYmdYXG6xpUOuDDOqUaFCJOWqRQ7fjVa26ZtH3qPZzF5UYLUC4sFtnX8/s1600/P1010116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IFnzhe7-by_J8I4zqb-HWfw0LRczP1S2lfDOQfddAfwy4hfBw7vThFc8GUkbasG1PGy8NY9DcMw66qEgJ8KmzYmdYXG6xpUOuDDOqUaFCJOWqRQ7fjVa26ZtH3qPZzF5UYLUC4sFtnX8/s400/P1010116.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Press the seam to set the stitches. I chose to press the seams towards the top and bottom horizontal rows.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNnPSahubRlmJ83sGEL6h75y7iqxfjRaxLBmEh6SbgvsWsDtd8U1HRYthOKzNJzdQv16gdfgUWTz_BOGd9NKdi97AgL7rxVZU5EAf7wj4p79lE2gMbF7UH6D0uyMdW0G8q5NDmzfFwQxT/s1600/P1010117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNnPSahubRlmJ83sGEL6h75y7iqxfjRaxLBmEh6SbgvsWsDtd8U1HRYthOKzNJzdQv16gdfgUWTz_BOGd9NKdi97AgL7rxVZU5EAf7wj4p79lE2gMbF7UH6D0uyMdW0G8q5NDmzfFwQxT/s400/P1010117.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Open up the seam by finger pressing before pressing it with the iron. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutLNOxGls9M71r7seR2EQp6TpxZA9RQHPZCN1urU7Jd2ceIcMUE6eCVqyMu8pRK6Ksan5O7KIoZtpC0vEHkglRJIgr6aqQqVXQ9z6XgfiV6gKZlq12HOqDEvbpaiJ_PIEV9DhhxWuHrIt/s1600/P1010119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutLNOxGls9M71r7seR2EQp6TpxZA9RQHPZCN1urU7Jd2ceIcMUE6eCVqyMu8pRK6Ksan5O7KIoZtpC0vEHkglRJIgr6aqQqVXQ9z6XgfiV6gKZlq12HOqDEvbpaiJ_PIEV9DhhxWuHrIt/s400/P1010119.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Perfectly matched seams. Follow the same process with the third horizontal row</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_O8uTOcaxtjZF2QEelyF1rWey1Djqk0qAQ5Gzvse0-F8MSeA3Tk-_c5lpEgx6uIgdk48FRTcEFzCD16mutydX7bZdoFKLKkI-nGrVmrQVIiet7E8L2UPlEL-STh4AF9_TtBeFHp6_DQ8/s1600/P1010141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_O8uTOcaxtjZF2QEelyF1rWey1Djqk0qAQ5Gzvse0-F8MSeA3Tk-_c5lpEgx6uIgdk48FRTcEFzCD16mutydX7bZdoFKLKkI-nGrVmrQVIiet7E8L2UPlEL-STh4AF9_TtBeFHp6_DQ8/s400/P1010141.JPG" tt="true" width="387" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are my five nine-patch blocks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEK4UV65zYST2ktckBbZwS3f9Gy3QEEfxoFrbq71yjKKftmOb36qzpL-Q1J2-t8L7mLd1iKb9yOUIHdItB33aumih5NJ1U-HWtsXnv97vG4O7i3K65UZHbDjlFH9GGv_xqchZ0spgcCXq/s1600/P1010142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEK4UV65zYST2ktckBbZwS3f9Gy3QEEfxoFrbq71yjKKftmOb36qzpL-Q1J2-t8L7mLd1iKb9yOUIHdItB33aumih5NJ1U-HWtsXnv97vG4O7i3K65UZHbDjlFH9GGv_xqchZ0spgcCXq/s400/P1010142.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The next step is to make a horizontal and vertical cuts down the center of my nine-patches. Because I started with 5" charm squares and I used 1/4" seams, I measured 2.25" from the seam to find my center of the middle vertical row.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8QOXzMbFo9WTT68nM55IZrRPo1HHtf56hIw8GI1sDrO5L1P4i16rx48ooeVcn3v4cwde0jxtW3_C2fU7sdkygdukNodX5oc4FY779aalq6B2-KrV9yH4APMy0SXCGRCAZ39l272Ww65-/s1600/P1010143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8QOXzMbFo9WTT68nM55IZrRPo1HHtf56hIw8GI1sDrO5L1P4i16rx48ooeVcn3v4cwde0jxtW3_C2fU7sdkygdukNodX5oc4FY779aalq6B2-KrV9yH4APMy0SXCGRCAZ39l272Ww65-/s400/P1010143.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Cut through the center.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eTL4XseU-kEJqFijkx1FiyYVaXrATL5t0C6TOohSd_PPPtktWM9QLE8qeNoU4_yloVn8pFBVUH6Og4hyWSJ8JN-hzl_HjttvU6_XDWIlqtLabY8Xbbn9DQ8Ja2nCv3F7qTuB8n3pbTBJ/s1600/P1010145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eTL4XseU-kEJqFijkx1FiyYVaXrATL5t0C6TOohSd_PPPtktWM9QLE8qeNoU4_yloVn8pFBVUH6Og4hyWSJ8JN-hzl_HjttvU6_XDWIlqtLabY8Xbbn9DQ8Ja2nCv3F7qTuB8n3pbTBJ/s400/P1010145.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Turn each half and follow the same process to find the center and cut.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivUkiQA44prJ4ZlRmqmIK47aBHldklW_NHmslT79MSpPbYFE9uY7Cwm9xFkZVYMepFn6Dr06nZNxXVaKckmBvXLAdGME86GpztSNvlcMkmOWS1vJkpIOTpu3fNHv4j9eiUlAmGijuFrJA/s1600/P1010150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivUkiQA44prJ4ZlRmqmIK47aBHldklW_NHmslT79MSpPbYFE9uY7Cwm9xFkZVYMepFn6Dr06nZNxXVaKckmBvXLAdGME86GpztSNvlcMkmOWS1vJkpIOTpu3fNHv4j9eiUlAmGijuFrJA/s400/P1010150.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Each section was squared to 7" before I played with them on my design wall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jvnW-KaocbKUiXsn5QljyAeYDcPzPWfp21XmprSYoOiJxlGk43evl6cLc53UydbU12ABdEy0Vv9wn45o3i8QXeMVVqbe59sRls_787yGbmv0lIERJSxLb61z5Z-pM1YmlXzffLO6ur35/s1600/P1010004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jvnW-KaocbKUiXsn5QljyAeYDcPzPWfp21XmprSYoOiJxlGk43evl6cLc53UydbU12ABdEy0Vv9wn45o3i8QXeMVVqbe59sRls_787yGbmv0lIERJSxLb61z5Z-pM1YmlXzffLO6ur35/s400/P1010004.JPG" tt="true" width="350" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I placed the squares on my design wall and played around with the layout. Once I chose the layout I wanted I reassembled the 7" blocks into larger blocks by joining four per block. I then squared up the larger blocks to 13.5" before joining them. The final row consisted of four 7" blocks which I joined into one row before adding it to the upper section.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqm0IEGgr5EZtx_B2IIqUSwJT4clQoAW0x9sJ9qtpPQYrr7FXQRm0552PgeMcGq-e9QYbcfDUqaLA4-nPB2QcDnDGJUrm8YZWz10rD9FtK2UCkmfhqr_imCUaDhT7ygZGiEgmfnHdI0Bl/s1600/P1010016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqm0IEGgr5EZtx_B2IIqUSwJT4clQoAW0x9sJ9qtpPQYrr7FXQRm0552PgeMcGq-e9QYbcfDUqaLA4-nPB2QcDnDGJUrm8YZWz10rD9FtK2UCkmfhqr_imCUaDhT7ygZGiEgmfnHdI0Bl/s400/P1010016.JPG" tt="true" width="383" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I decided to add two borders to finish the quilt top. The red border was cut 1.5" in width for a finished 1" wide border. The outer border was cut 5" in width for a 4.5" finished width. To determine the length, I measured the center for both horizontal and vertical strips. By measuring the center I won't have to worry about sagging borders. Also, the border strips were cut on the grain to prevent stretching of the strips. </div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/43/FC538063FDECDB450F8FE8C2770D1B5B.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-13531155534989251422010-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:002010-05-05T14:25:27.369-07:00Challenge Blocks - December and January<div style="text-align: justify;">I've gotten behind on my Challenge blocks and have been trying to catch-up. During our sew-in a couple of weeks ago, I managed to complete two of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrj2JSRtrTuNgtnNJimJCDq6ZUXWO0biHime6m8wV_xeXrJh8tpJwk6YOgVhy0BVcNGg8jQDahxx9jxkqWKOkL9X1F8EeL51Bc18oIF1wdw_25GvDkWp0hgKn_GyH-koF3hjBJKUHixa2/s1600/P1010005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrj2JSRtrTuNgtnNJimJCDq6ZUXWO0biHime6m8wV_xeXrJh8tpJwk6YOgVhy0BVcNGg8jQDahxx9jxkqWKOkL9X1F8EeL51Bc18oIF1wdw_25GvDkWp0hgKn_GyH-koF3hjBJKUHixa2/s400/P1010005.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My friend <a href="http://grammasquiltingroom.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Judy</span></a> selected <a href="http://quilterscache.com/C/CountryFarmBlock.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Country Farm</span></a> for December's challenge block. What should have been a relatively simple block to assemble turned out to be very frustrating and I had to redo it. The above picture is my second attempt. As you can tell, all of the intersecting seams match and I have an accurate 1/4" seam for assembling the blocks together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc77QC84wBJXUXmZ8xXyC5UmmrWhu-T89UyU2yyXF7ANYvW6_-YeC88Je-PGf0OwydMkVriU-480YmHBwUBXryBOtZjVc1lDfCL81qWOdARd79_wTIMQofKcGR-3TuLPWEPYsQ4iKu549Q/s1600/P1010003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc77QC84wBJXUXmZ8xXyC5UmmrWhu-T89UyU2yyXF7ANYvW6_-YeC88Je-PGf0OwydMkVriU-480YmHBwUBXryBOtZjVc1lDfCL81qWOdARd79_wTIMQofKcGR-3TuLPWEPYsQ4iKu549Q/s400/P1010003.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is my first attempt. What a mess! The center four-patch didn't lay flat and was very puffy, some of the intersecting seams didn't quite match, and I was missing the 1/4" seam allowance for assembling to other blocks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Initially, I had planned to assemble this block during January's sew-in and cut the pieces out a day or two prior to our scheduled sew-in. However, my MIL was hospitalized and I wasn't able to attend our sew-in causing the block to sit for a couple of months. My guess is in my rush to prepare everything for our sew-in, I accidentally cut some of the block pieces inaccurately because it went together quite quickly the second time around. Once I completed the redo of this block, I really like it and will probably use it again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbj1HmYCS_h6NIdUQpW-yKSwPKoXyyiVStVe1TGmSmphiwYf4lSfCXa26bNDOciDN7VSpDXwQ3dvBGQblRJF1V4m1aKY1HkQnwjY4Y8aqekcRB1Wp_h4cbhcGlNJ_8We8FhLg-WynmuOnS/s1600/P1010048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbj1HmYCS_h6NIdUQpW-yKSwPKoXyyiVStVe1TGmSmphiwYf4lSfCXa26bNDOciDN7VSpDXwQ3dvBGQblRJF1V4m1aKY1HkQnwjY4Y8aqekcRB1Wp_h4cbhcGlNJ_8We8FhLg-WynmuOnS/s400/P1010048.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My friend Billie selected <a href="http://www.quilterscache.com/Q/QuatrefoilsBlock.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Quatrefoils</span></span></a> for January's challenge block. This block went together very quilter since I had made it a couple of months ago for one of my friends in our Birthday Block Swap. While assembling this block, I really struggled on my fabric choices. I swapped the colors from the initial pattern, using light for dark and vice <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">versa</span>. When I was playing around with my layout choices I happened to change my color choices and almost switched the dark blue corner squares with the lighter lavender print. It would change the appearance of the block completely, but I really liked it. I'm probably going to do another one of this block with that layout to see how it would look assembled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Two down and three more to go! What are you working on?</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/43/FC538063FDECDB450F8FE8C2770D1B5B.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-11424761865055205182010-05-04T21:08:00.000-07:002010-05-04T21:08:08.132-07:00Houston, We Have a Problem...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdNC4mgS1PEvMkKjaD5snT2fQOITGznw72YO9MhCytBAtWyebq5UwOxfK7dJO5xuBkF96bDTWixksjoL0RVxyfpJ5gr2p1eJ9o8cIsRDV0a47v9VShUbKN0Iuidy254Wc0RemBNvjbYRB/s1600/Houston+We+Have+A+Problem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdNC4mgS1PEvMkKjaD5snT2fQOITGznw72YO9MhCytBAtWyebq5UwOxfK7dJO5xuBkF96bDTWixksjoL0RVxyfpJ5gr2p1eJ9o8cIsRDV0a47v9VShUbKN0Iuidy254Wc0RemBNvjbYRB/s400/Houston+We+Have+A+Problem.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">And it's been a roller coaster! We have had a couple of strong storms hit us in the last couple of days causing lots of fallen trees and power outages. Monday I lost power seven or eight times. It wasn't out long enough to cause any discomfort, just enough to reset our electronic clocks. I had no idea how many of those we have in our home! After resetting them the third time, I left them blinking until I went to bed.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">To compound my frustration, I lost my Internet connection. We live in a rural area where <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">DSL</span> isn't available and Dial-up is extremely painful. So we access the Internet via satellite. What a problem this has been! I was finally able to get it working on our desktop but my laptop still can't connect to our router. Of course all of my files are on my laptop and it can be a hassle transferring the files to a flash drive and try to retrieve them via the desktop which uses VISTA for its operating system. I definitely do not like VISTA and have been boycotting it since its debut. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now you know why I have been absent and hopefully I'll be back to regular posting tomorrow. I really do have some things to share. I promise...</div><div></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/173/9F9BA640EC89F1875D37803C2E858561.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: lucida grande;"> </span></div>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-41753335095537051392010-04-28T15:47:00.000-07:002010-04-28T15:47:46.853-07:00Signature Block SwapI received my Signature Block Swap swap-out on Saturday:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w8SV78xLi-9fZ6i15mdNaMr1HI9mLBVnCMyic9kd-Lpssp-QNcb5iK3toTyDRkASzzx3q0UrB0Z7vZ1aTQx1gBgsLj4FuRoRGFBlD1yXp3W79JSLRufIFCD7N06Gxg2QwJerk-f9V8KS/s1600/P1010039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w8SV78xLi-9fZ6i15mdNaMr1HI9mLBVnCMyic9kd-Lpssp-QNcb5iK3toTyDRkASzzx3q0UrB0Z7vZ1aTQx1gBgsLj4FuRoRGFBlD1yXp3W79JSLRufIFCD7N06Gxg2QwJerk-f9V8KS/s320/P1010039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I think all of the participants did a fabulous job on their blocks. Initially, we had ten people sign up for the swap but one person didn't complete her obligation so I only have nine blocks. I'll have to play around with the layout to see what I'm going to do with them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What are you working on? </div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/43/FC538063FDECDB450F8FE8C2770D1B5B.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681964411687892246.post-45554427307397074052010-04-26T09:42:00.000-07:002010-04-26T09:45:31.461-07:00Join Me For Some Eye Candy?<div style="text-align: justify;">I spent all day Saturday visiting with a group of friends while sewing, laughing, eating, and laughing some more. There is nothing better than spending the day with friends. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Each month we have a potluck based on a theme of which I'm the coordinator of. This month I chose a theme based on the movie Steel Magnolias and the character's band of friendship. We had <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Po'k</span> and Beans, Potato Salad, Biscuits and Gravy, Deviled Eggs, Iced Tea, Cookies, Ham and/or Roast Beef Sandwiches, and BBQ Smokies and Meatballs. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Yummo</span>!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from the laughs and food that we all share, one of my favorite events at our sew-ins is show 'n tell. Who can walk away from eye candy?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLva32-NrYATN2m-2FjL9Y4HgkSQW_4PT-cXdTkW0SHuyK6dXF-kx-dXUTdhAzXm_XOik5bSm-iL8znikn0JQD1dy7h5AMLjffnTk51IVkZdyuwYwEKiL0Uq9DGGnwI9_rkFdyn6yHlMED/s1600/P1010001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLva32-NrYATN2m-2FjL9Y4HgkSQW_4PT-cXdTkW0SHuyK6dXF-kx-dXUTdhAzXm_XOik5bSm-iL8znikn0JQD1dy7h5AMLjffnTk51IVkZdyuwYwEKiL0Uq9DGGnwI9_rkFdyn6yHlMED/s400/P1010001.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This quilt was made by my friend Diane while participating in a mystery challenge and quilted by my friend Jo Ann's husband Larry. It is made from gorgeous Batiks and the feathers Larry quilted really showcase the quilt's design. Spectacular quilt!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKrV2AePys3w5OBIXBg1nt1PfztP0Cv8uHj37-W_RK337rS_9K1ExS93046T2LxD3f85oKe2nSBNljyLZIGugj2GsV2DhmcxduwuXqRrOF2kAfYc7Yuo5Kke8xR4unWSNTC74DFjNy1Jl/s1600/P1010019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKrV2AePys3w5OBIXBg1nt1PfztP0Cv8uHj37-W_RK337rS_9K1ExS93046T2LxD3f85oKe2nSBNljyLZIGugj2GsV2DhmcxduwuXqRrOF2kAfYc7Yuo5Kke8xR4unWSNTC74DFjNy1Jl/s400/P1010019.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This was created by my friend Joy. She does some of the best appliqued quilts I've seen. I know many quilters who have cats and I'm sure each of them can relate to the four cats depicted in this quilt. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">LOL</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlwqTyGD-ODZWxCFA5hRwmpzTHXmhyphenhyphenc0-EGERHwBj-cwVxtwe0TCBv8Zi5VvMKMQ3-VtfMbWtoPXJcnU7z7syu4v22JsV5E0gcq82ZDMGDcNJRY8gNLdwktE8yOQX4UcSIV6KsRCrAFlX/s1600/P1010021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlwqTyGD-ODZWxCFA5hRwmpzTHXmhyphenhyphenc0-EGERHwBj-cwVxtwe0TCBv8Zi5VvMKMQ3-VtfMbWtoPXJcnU7z7syu4v22JsV5E0gcq82ZDMGDcNJRY8gNLdwktE8yOQX4UcSIV6KsRCrAFlX/s400/P1010021.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here is another quilt created by Joy. If I remember correctly, she made it for a local library and the one above is a duplicate of what she gave to the library. I just love the alligator dancing on top of the books while playing the saxophone. If you look closely, you can see the ladybugs crawling along the vine around the alligator. Precious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TMpWT273r6GkuA5JTKfoJI09euoz0Rt3q_p338q6WYZnEU9q0bTBzhENPlNbCBgC1FfgThBoMRgrQ-L4IBdOGrXk1m8m1U2x3xU8IOYfRngRXZM8Mr8IDtwNrxh6jpNaiIdbSLvG_zK9/s1600/P1010031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TMpWT273r6GkuA5JTKfoJI09euoz0Rt3q_p338q6WYZnEU9q0bTBzhENPlNbCBgC1FfgThBoMRgrQ-L4IBdOGrXk1m8m1U2x3xU8IOYfRngRXZM8Mr8IDtwNrxh6jpNaiIdbSLvG_zK9/s400/P1010031.JPG" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">While we were at the sew-in, Joy was working on this clock. It is part of a Baltimore Album quilt she's working on. Isn't her work beautiful?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJphVUu4U5wDTlBVf_nTvxOlFWu6V6Ne85pEQ7RB-LahGBhKlZDnRiv43lTnrGkEJjVgGTdUyo1lf4R0NImucI54rLB91SZyfljsJ5-uhxedZxtkMNoPFPRzfZmHFL8HftytoOtvKSzNb/s1600/P1010024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJphVUu4U5wDTlBVf_nTvxOlFWu6V6Ne85pEQ7RB-LahGBhKlZDnRiv43lTnrGkEJjVgGTdUyo1lf4R0NImucI54rLB91SZyfljsJ5-uhxedZxtkMNoPFPRzfZmHFL8HftytoOtvKSzNb/s400/P1010024.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My friend Vicki makes a lot of humanitarian quilts and does beautiful work. She is also an expert at applique. This quilt pattern is called Yellow Brick Road and is very popular among quilters who donate their quilts. I love the bright fabrics Vicki used.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLolh2g4_19Gm8WDYgX2zGnpwNNDPZn-U5Q0EalP3AupaWJhcePU7fTG4GdSmdbQl3gjT5YC6ihE1MeBCB_q6gXWNr1INpr0ZrYcY6Te3q55UqN3c9ix_90Vk5LS1feuwCL-KIuY_fEPF/s1600/P1010026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLolh2g4_19Gm8WDYgX2zGnpwNNDPZn-U5Q0EalP3AupaWJhcePU7fTG4GdSmdbQl3gjT5YC6ihE1MeBCB_q6gXWNr1INpr0ZrYcY6Te3q55UqN3c9ix_90Vk5LS1feuwCL-KIuY_fEPF/s400/P1010026.JPG" tt="true" width="336" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here is another humanitarian quilt assembled by Vicki using the Yellow Brick Road pattern but with different fabrics. This would make a cute baby quilt, don't you think?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFSRGKVU4xQS1lzKCRGMHjO1QmfWDZcdgjlvQ0PvMsLYEF3MzBWfhnSE9L39G_FlqdHE5yyQGMG6pKSzf9wW9L4D8NibfcpQJjfjofxRPY8G5M2hQw_tZLKN-JfwRuREtbNONanHEkv2q/s1600/P1010028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFSRGKVU4xQS1lzKCRGMHjO1QmfWDZcdgjlvQ0PvMsLYEF3MzBWfhnSE9L39G_FlqdHE5yyQGMG6pKSzf9wW9L4D8NibfcpQJjfjofxRPY8G5M2hQw_tZLKN-JfwRuREtbNONanHEkv2q/s400/P1010028.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Vicki made this quilt in celebration of our annual Tulip Festival. She did a great job creating a scene of our tulips fields during the festival.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAC2JCLiwNHuz_3-S3HvQCtcNIUDsstPFR9hE04jKRvOyH2kiKPVujJuj11xXBUaOyi2zHQadmFiwWV6UJ-tQ8OCZcOymaibay4ejfBzWTnRcMg-DAswHpaSm8ZYfL1MmeVFpTehK8ER_/s1600/P1010030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAC2JCLiwNHuz_3-S3HvQCtcNIUDsstPFR9hE04jKRvOyH2kiKPVujJuj11xXBUaOyi2zHQadmFiwWV6UJ-tQ8OCZcOymaibay4ejfBzWTnRcMg-DAswHpaSm8ZYfL1MmeVFpTehK8ER_/s400/P1010030.JPG" tt="true" width="217" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here is another quilt created by Vicki. I love this wall hanging. A couple of us tried to convince her to donate this to us, but she wasn't falling for it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">One of our group challenges this year is a Round Robin challenge based on a Christmas Carol. The challenge was set for 6 months where each month we are given a set of instructions and we all carry out those instructions by working on our own quilts. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I am behind on my challenge quilt and am only on challenge one... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qz0vTmuqlPZyvDIe8rFtwHJew9Yv54u5byHuHdDesNBpsAtc1DzU5n2yFWX_CgUhOQeq63xPSSAvyXmjT-EA7mrsnrXlGVmjZwIymHwTsI0bFbYkNqe2kP5YfKBsxpiHJnmBlfOhfbHp/s1600/P1010005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qz0vTmuqlPZyvDIe8rFtwHJew9Yv54u5byHuHdDesNBpsAtc1DzU5n2yFWX_CgUhOQeq63xPSSAvyXmjT-EA7mrsnrXlGVmjZwIymHwTsI0bFbYkNqe2kP5YfKBsxpiHJnmBlfOhfbHp/s400/P1010005.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This one is Daisy's Round Robin challenge. The first part of our challenge was to create a 22 1/2" block based on a Christmas Carol. Daisy chose Let It Snow, Let It Snow. The second challenge was to add a 2 1/2" border, followed by the third challenge of setting the block on point by adding corners. Our fourth challenge was to add a 4 1/2" pieced border (if I remember correctly), and the fifth challenge is to set the block on point again by adding corners. Our sixth challenge is to add a 6 1/2" border. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPTlsN49I-OBx0XnBPYE2u-QAz0WgD0fTVk2WaoWg1c4EeO6xM5c6eN2q5KvhLB1zKqZLHZPB1Sf0MkzYsvMsEyT94l4hGGDMGBn_nRUhUFXOiTQoKs9jdu0ygyG-FsuBXCLww7yGkCDE/s1600/P1010006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPTlsN49I-OBx0XnBPYE2u-QAz0WgD0fTVk2WaoWg1c4EeO6xM5c6eN2q5KvhLB1zKqZLHZPB1Sf0MkzYsvMsEyT94l4hGGDMGBn_nRUhUFXOiTQoKs9jdu0ygyG-FsuBXCLww7yGkCDE/s400/P1010006.JPG" tt="true" width="371" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Here is a close-up of Daisy's initial block and pieced border. I think she has done a fantastic job.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWKokALCgHy-yMymBugJMfMFHnOEBRtVAhWhOTDLdpXf9V2gbQfATAfLxVdganmsPIgeDdSSZizxiCKuJFliobTiqpECTc5q-FwkbAMY1BxkGCwrs5sZuQOS8tEp3cG2xFmmejO_Fi-qN/s1600/P1010007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWKokALCgHy-yMymBugJMfMFHnOEBRtVAhWhOTDLdpXf9V2gbQfATAfLxVdganmsPIgeDdSSZizxiCKuJFliobTiqpECTc5q-FwkbAMY1BxkGCwrs5sZuQOS8tEp3cG2xFmmejO_Fi-qN/s400/P1010007.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This one is my friend's <a href="http://piecefulquillting.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Jo's</span></a> Round Robin Challenge. Hers is based on the Christmas Carol 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rMA0MczJbJMhXz0D0vNjNTYbhWYHh29xf2v_Dgi6CQlqkGs3uITvpsDqufsToqavqnEf09nLE16S8LSbpeX3eFTsdncF1WJo_Nb89OpHXh3q6YKiVn7yhuLOX5e97aSNXMLVBR2U6Y-V/s1600/P1010009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rMA0MczJbJMhXz0D0vNjNTYbhWYHh29xf2v_Dgi6CQlqkGs3uITvpsDqufsToqavqnEf09nLE16S8LSbpeX3eFTsdncF1WJo_Nb89OpHXh3q6YKiVn7yhuLOX5e97aSNXMLVBR2U6Y-V/s400/P1010009.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jo did a lot of beautiful embellishments on her challenge quilt. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't really showcase it. Jo is another one who's applique skills are what I term as expert. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fG6gHE-5oBp3-n1TpG-kJVZfXIlyyA28ryLzFRqmRLN6BHSeVwAzH71zxvG8RTEP-f-CgmKBnBz4Ql246gmMOYsenlPx636VHaa5jYbxIFl13HamA6chT3_8OnjIeysC0Hjd4FdoFXGh/s1600/P1010010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fG6gHE-5oBp3-n1TpG-kJVZfXIlyyA28ryLzFRqmRLN6BHSeVwAzH71zxvG8RTEP-f-CgmKBnBz4Ql246gmMOYsenlPx636VHaa5jYbxIFl13HamA6chT3_8OnjIeysC0Hjd4FdoFXGh/s400/P1010010.JPG" tt="true" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I had to take a close-up of her border to showcase her beautiful work. She chose a real creative way to continue her Christmas Carol theme into the outer borders by adding additional applique. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Not bad for a Saturday afternoon... What did you do?</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/43/FC538063FDECDB450F8FE8C2770D1B5B.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a>Denahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00365392212281698499noreply@blogger.com11