New Year's Decisions

There must be something about starting a new year that makes me forget about how many projects I already have in the works or have purchased materials for and inspires me to dive head-first into new ones. I am trying to decide on my 2010 project for my Prim Folk Art Yahoo group and rather than going with a pieced quilt I already have all the fabric for, I've stumbled across (and completely fallen head over heels in love with) a new pattern that I can't wait to get started on! I will have to wait a bit, though - the pattern is coming from Australia, so it's not here yet. It's called The Blessings Quilt by Bon Bon Designs. I found it on the Three Ducks on a a Roof blog. It sounds like there has been a lot of interest in this one - I know that everyone in the Yahoo group loved it, too. Here's a picture of the quilt from the designer's website:










The version posted on the Three Ducks blog is made from Jo Morton fabrics. It is gorgeous! Unfortunately I can't find too many of those close to home. I've been looking at them online, but really want to take a road trip so I can see them in person. I'm trying to find a free weekend - seems like there are too many things going on this month!

Another quilt that I have fallen in love with over the past couple of days is in the current issue of McCall's Quilting magazine. According to Barbara Brackman's blog, the quilt is actually a reproduction of an antique quilt that wasn't mentioned in the article. It is beautiful!

I don't think that I want to use this one for my group project. I think I prefer to do this one in crisp, clear colors. I will probably go with an off-white tone-on-tone print for the background.

I am still working on my Baltimore block - or at least I have started it. I've been trying to wrap up block six from My Garden Album before getting back to it. And then there's the Applique Affair block - I've committed to work on it with the Applique Cafe group, so I need to knock out block nine this month. I'd love to get back to my baskets, too... That one will probably have to wait.

I drew up a new rug to start at wool club next Saturday. I plan to incorporate all of the year's colors into this rug. I will likely do some of the other monthly Creative Juices projects, too, but I thought it would be fun to have the entire color palette in a single piece.

Off to work on a block...I had better pick up the pace if I am to have any hope of getting my "assignments" done on time!

Another Rug Finished!

I finally finished my Basketful rug! It's a bit sad that it took nearly the entire year to hook it. I suppose I did take time to work on my baskets and the blog rug this year, but I really need to pick up the pace if I ever plan to make a dent in the pile of projects I have already started or plan to start in the near future. I'm back to working on the Illinois postcard now.

I'm really looking forward to the new year of wool club and all of the projects I will be inspired to start (yikes!). I am also looking forward to getting back to starting my Baltimore, hopefully later today. I'm minutes away from twelve glorious days of vacation - I hope to get lots accomplished!

Block #5 Finished!

I'm excited to report that I have finished block five of My Garden Album with two weeks to spare! Only four left and then the piecing... If I recall correctly, the border is pieced, so it shouldn't be too much work to finish once the applique has been completed. I am in love with these blocks - the colors are beautiful!

I found a suitable yarn to bind my Basketful rug and got a pretty good start on it yesterday. I hope to finish and give it a second steaming by the end of the week. I'm so excited by some of the ideas that Nola threw out for next year's wool club that I know I will be starting new projects at a frightening pace next year. I'd like to get Basketful and the Illinois postcard knocked out before I start my first project of the new year. Can I get that much accomplished by Jan 9?

Rethinking my Baltimore

Well, I guess it's a good thing that I didn't get very far on my first Baltimore block before deciding that I just don't want 18" blocks! Of course, I didn't throw my work away - it's tucked safely away just in case I change my mind again! I may decide to start with a different block... I'm not sure that the first one I selected will lend itself to a 12" version. Although I made the decision over a week ago, I spent most of my sewing time working on block five of My Garden Album. I am close to finished - a few bunny parts and leaves and I will be caught up once again.

I finally finished hooking my Basketful rug. Now all I need is to find the right color yarn to bind it with... Everything I have on hand is too light. Hopefully I will be able to find something to do the trick at Nola's this weekend. I've moved on to hooking he Illinois postcard rug and feel like I am making decent progress on that one. I'd love to get it finished and get back to the one from Anita's class. I love that one!

Hopefully I will have a picture or two to show some progress this weekend - if trying to catch up with Christmas shopping doesn't get in the way!

Beginning my Baltimore

I finally started a "true" Baltimore Album quilt. I have been doing a lot of reading since attending Baltimore on the Prairie. Although I have always loved the album quilts, listening to Jan Carlson's presentation really got me hooked. The more I learned, the more excited I became! So I was particularly excited when Katie and I decided to revive the TAS group with a Baltimore slant...which leads me to starting my first Baltimore Album quilt. The process of getting started was a slow one - prepping the background (Moda's Bella Solid in bleached white), choosing the pattern to start with, tracing the overlay, and selecting fabrics for the first flowers. I originally had planned to do 12" blocks, but after learning that true BA blocks were much larger, I decided to go big. The background fabric looks ridiculously huge at 22" square. I think the finished block will be around 18". I didn't get as far as actually sewing anything today. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

I have managed to keep up with My Garden Album yet again. I finished block four yesterday. I had stopped by Homestead Hearth on my way home from the lake on Monday and was told that the next one had shipped, so I was very anxious to get it done before the mail arrived!

I'm also continuing to work on my baskets. I have six completed, I believe. Only 285 left to go! They are fun to work on and are pretty simple, so they make a good "on-the-go" project.

It's back to the rug for the rest of the night - I'd really rather applique, but I'll never make my self-imposed deadline if I don't get on it!

Need a vacation...

I'm sorry to say that I don't have anything to show for the last couple of weeks... I've been busy dabbling in lots of things, but haven't had time to finish a single one. I recieved block four of My Garden Album shortly after posting block three. I've got a pretty good start on it, but will really have to buckle down over the next week or so if I hope to finish before the next package arrives in the mail.

I did have a bit of a break-through yesterday. I decided how I would do the bottom of the "Basketful" rug and found a "close enough" match to the wool I ran short on, so everything is now in place for me to finish that one off. I just need to wash the new wool, pull a few strips from the completed leaves, and mix things up so it looks like I planned it that way. I'll be SOOOO glad to have this rug finished! I'm dying to get back to some of the other projects I started this year.

I'm really looking forward to our upcoming Baltimore album TAS group and can't wait to get going on my first block. I think we are going to go with a wreath to get started, and I have found a wonderful wreath in a pattern I recently received from the Maryland Historical Society. Now I just need to decide whether to go with the Moda Bleached White or Kona Snow for background. I'm leaning toward the Moda. Perhaps I should order another bolt...

I'm also very excited about Nola's plans for next year's wool club. It sounds like she has lots of ideas to really get our creative juices flowing. I am already thinking about a couple of things I would like to do. Oh no - more projects!

I'm very much looking forward to being off work next week. The stress of not knowing what the future holds is starting to get to me. It's tough to stay motivated. I'm really itching to fly the coop! I'd love to head down to the lake for a quiet, no errands required mini-retreat. Perhaps I can get away for a day or two next week before the holiday madness begins...

Keeping Up!

I managed to finish block three of My Garden Album before receiving block four...so far I am keeping up with this one! Who knows how long it can last...I have so many new projects I am aching to start that I am bound to get distracted and lose the race.

I need to choose a 2010 project for my Primitives Yahoo group. I am really interested in beginning an album quilt, and I would also dearly love to reproduce an antique applique project. I also have a burning desire to start at least one of the Nancy Page quilts - I just can't decide whether to start with the leaves, the birds, or the laurel wreath. Of course, none of those are very primitive (although the "rules" don't specify that the project has to be prim), so I am considering a few others that fit the bill a little better. I'd love to get started on Wedding March, and also would like to do the taupe quilt from Homestead Hearth. I also purchased all the fabric to make a log cabin with applique - again, not very primitive, but I'd like to get it done. Decisions, decisions! Thankfully I have a few more weeks to mull it over...