Back to Work

I'm down to the final hour of my vacation...so sad to see it come to an end!  Rug camp was lots of fun.  I absolutely love my pattern!  I made quite a bit of progress - I will have to take a photo for my next post.  I am thinking about challenging myself to try and finish it in March.  I can't wait to get it finished!

While I don't have a picture of my rug to share, I have one that I took of my friend Barb's rug from last year's camp.  It's huge!  I can't believe she finished it.  She collected wool from all of her friends (including me!) to use for the tongues.  What a fun idea!

As February comes to a close, it's time to look back at my list of planned accomplishments and see just how many I actually managed to complete. 

1.  Angel block - finished!
2.  My Garden Album block 7 - finished!
3.  Applique Affair block - finished!
4.  Fabrics for Runaway Mystery quilt - assembled, but not cut (I think it counts!)
5.  February Wool Club flowers - finished!
6.  Paint Chip Project - finished!
7.  Kansas Memories blocks - didn't touch them...
 
I did work on my Everything But the Kitchen Sink quite a bit at the retreat, and finished two more baskets (I have nine or ten now).  Here's my paint chip project:

It ended up being quite a stretch from the original paint chip colors - I used two of the four - but it turned out very nice.  Only one problem...I intended to use it for my rug frame, but can't fit the silly thing through the opening!  Oh well - guess I'll have to come up with another use for it!

Off to Rug Camp!

It's finally here!  Tomorrow morning I will be heading off for a week at rug camp.  I am very excited about starting my Bird Party rug.  I hope I can get a lot accomplished this week!

Our weekend retreat was very relaxing and enjoyable.  I spent a little time piecing the large nine patches for my Everything But the Kitchen Sink quilt.  I spent the majority of my time doing applique.  I managed to finish block seven of My Garden Album.  That's one more thing I can cross off my February list!

Paint Chip Frustration

I'm down to the wire on the paint chip challenge, and I still have absolutely no idea what to do.  Here are my colors:

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the darker blue is almost lavender.  Almost, but not quite.  It isn't purple, but isn't blue.  After looking in five different shops, I think I can safely say that this particular shade of blue is not currently being produced in a quilting fabric.  I have been planning to make a tote, but hadn't settled on a pattern yet.  I found three of the colors at Homestead Hearth - they were a pretty decent match for the paint chip.


















The problem is that I couldn't find the darker blue-purple color to go with these.  Funny, but in the picture the darkest fat quarter looks like it almost does the trick.  Unfortunately it really doesn't look anything like that color in person. 

So I became frustrated with the search for the blue-purple fabric, and decided to go a completely different direction.  I saw an incredibly cute tote bag pattern that I decided would be perfect for my rug frame.  I started looking for fabrics that could loosely represent the paint chip.  I found some I really liked - it's a bit of a stretch to use them for the paint chip challenge, but I actually like these colors!

I realize that there is no pink.  I couldn't find a pink that would work for me. I decided that I could sew a pink button or two on temporarily.  I decided to go for it - had I really thought through the pattern and realized what a tote bag that uses 3 3/8 yd of fabric and two different types of interfacing would cost, I probably would have decided differently. 

So now I have a stack of pastel fat quarters that I have no idea what to do with and a ridiculously expensive collection of supplies for a new tote bag.  I have just a little over a week to figure out what I will do and get it done.  This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be!

Flower Rug Month 2

I completed two more flowers with this month's Wool Club colors. While I am tempted to do more, I have to remember that there are still 37 colors left to use. This month's colors were Tinkerbox Blue, Wash Bluing, Rustic Roost, and Eggplant. The purple-ish flower near the center is Eggplant with a Rustic Roost center, and the blue flower on the right side of the rug is a combination of the blues.












I need to settle on a name for this one... I'm not very creative when it comes to choosing names. I've come up with "Diversity in Bloom", "Blooming Diversity" and "Wool Club Blooms" so far. Perhaps I should keep trying...

First Accomplishment for February

I'm happy to report that I am now able to cross the first item off of my "to do" list for February! I completed this month's Applique Affair block (okay, so I had to substitute one since I don't have the assigned one yet, but it's my block for the month!) in less than 24 hours. I did the prep work on Thursday night, but didn't start stitching until after work yesterday. Granted, it isn't the most complicated block in the world, but it's FINISHED! Now on to another item from the list...

Friendship Quotes

I did a little web surfing this morning and found a couple of quotes that just might work for my block:

• A friend is someone who reaches out her hand and touches your heart.
• Friends are the sisters that God (or destiny) forgot to give you.
• Some people make the world special just by being in it.

One of the best that I found, although completely inappropriate, has been bringing a smile to my face all day:

• A friend would lend you her umbrella. A best friend would take yours and yell "Run, bitch, run!"

I'm a huge fan of Pat Sloan and follow her blog daily. At the beginning of the year, Pat encouraged her followers to choose a word for the year. Her word was "possibilities". I've been pondering the idea for weeks, and haven't been able to come up with a word that represents what I want to accomplish this year. Then it hit me - "accomplish" is it! I need to focus on actually accomplishing rather than just planning, buying, and starting. So, for the month of February, my "accomplish" goals are to:

• Finish the angel quilt block
• Complete My Garden Album block seven
• Complete an Applique Affair block
• Assemble fabrics for Runaway Mystery quilt
• Hook flowers with February Wool Club colors
• Finish paint chip project
• Begin piecing Kansas Memories blocks

I'll report progress and set new goals at the end of the month.

The Projects Keep Coming!

I hate to post when I have nothing to show, but I have so many ideas and projects bouncing around in my mind that I am worried I might lose them! I made a little more progress on the angel block tonight, getting the lace and most of the dress appliqued. I should be able to finish the dress and head tomorrow, and then all that is left is the stitching. I still need to come up with a saying to add to the block - I'll work on that tomorrow, too.

Today's mail brought the first clue in the 2010 Runaway Mystery quilt. I have wanted to do a scrappy quilt for a while now, and have been eyeing a couple of Bonnie Hunter's patterns as possible projects. I am not sure whether I will even make it to Runaway this year, but I have regretted not doing the last couple of mystery quilts that Terry has put together. They always seem to turn out fantastic! This may be the year! Of course, I probably don't have the right scraps - I see reproductions or more primitive colors in this one, not the stuff I have in my stash. Ahhhhh...the Superbowl sales are calling my name!

Other projects I have recently acquired include the Wool Crazy quilt by JoAnn Mullaly (through the Wool Crazy Ladies Club at Primitive Gatherings) and Sue Spargo's 2010 BOM, which came in the mail last week. It's hard to tell when I will have time to start either one! Block seven of My Garden Album should be in the mailbox any day now (it's actually a few days late), and the second Applique Affair block assignment should be posted any minute now. I feel the need to knock both of those out before starting anything new. With nothing on the calendar this weekend, I think it is definitely time for a sewing marathon!