Friday, March 13, 2009

Making Progress

I actually managed to be somewhat productive tonight! I'm still slightly irritated with myself for starting yet another rug this week and for signing up for the wool applique class tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that I am thinking about signing up for yet another rug class this summer. This will be a record year for me - more rugs started than ever before! I actually may be on pace to start more quilts than ever, too. I'm completely out of control!

I finished the last of the center blocks for my Faceted Jewels quilt tonight. Much to my dismay, I wasn't able to check off another step on the pattern. There are about 30 more partial blocks that have to be made beofre step 7 is complete. I hope to get back to it tomorrow night...after the applique class, of course!

I'm thinking that I may design a 9 block (or possibly 4 block) Baltimore album-style rug for the class with Anita White. I think she'd be great with something like that and I think I would enjoy it more than working on that Emma Lou pattern I found in my stash.

I hope to do a little more organizing tomorrow. I want to start moving things to the basement but there's still a lot of cleaning, moving and planning necessary before I can completely move in. I haven't decided what all will go down there - I need to spend a little more time planning, but that cuts into the quilting & hooking time! Of course, there are a few other things on the "to do" list, too. Hmmm....how much longer do I have to get those taxes finished?

Monday, March 9, 2009

Crazy Quilting & Rug Hooking

Wow - I can't believe it has been over a month since I posted! Of course, a lot has happened over the past few weeks. I've started a number of new projects - I think it's time to rethink (and perhaps expand) my lists.

I spent the week of Feb 9th taking a class on crazy quilting at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. The class was absolutely wonderful! Judith was a fantastic teacher, and I really appreciated and enjoyed having the ability to focus on a single project all week. I'm so used to the 6-hour workshop that you leave with little more than a block or two.

Last week was our 2009 Toddhall rug camp. Our teacher this year was Cynthia Norwood. She was wonderful! She was really a lot of fun and we learned so much about antique paisley shawls and creating antique-looking rugs. I am working on a really fun pattern - the flowers are a bit on the modern side, yet I am hooking it in really primitive, old-looking colors. I can't wait to finish it!

In addition to the above, I spent several days in New York City and had a chance to visit The City Quilter. What a fun shop! I also attended a retreat at a little bed and breakfast in Collinsville, IL where I worked on the first two Bunny Hill BOM blocks. I still need to complete the embroidery, but the applique was finished just in time for the release of block #3.

I am starting yet another rug in a class at Nola's this week, and attending a wool applique class on Saturday. I really need to stop starting all these new things and focus on getting a few quilts finished for the quilt show. June will be here before we know it!